{"id":226581,"date":"2025-06-29T10:05:34","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T10:05:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.museumtv.art\/artnews\/articles\/"},"modified":"2025-06-27T12:10:45","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T12:10:45","slug":"tribute-paul-klee-june-29-85th-anniversary-of-his-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.museumtv.art\/en\/artnews\/artistes\/tribute-paul-klee-june-29-85th-anniversary-of-his-death\/","title":{"rendered":"Tribute – Paul Klee June 29, 85th Anniversary of His Death"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Paul Klee <\/span><\/strong>was<\/span> born<\/span> in M\u00fcnchenbuchsee, <\/span>near<\/span> Bern, on <\/span>December<\/span> 18, 1879. Like <\/span>his<\/span> father<\/span>, Paul <\/span>was<\/span> of German <\/span>nationality<\/span>. <\/span>From<\/span> a <\/span>very<\/span> young<\/span> age<\/span>, Paul Klee <\/span>was<\/span> exposed<\/span> to the arts, <\/span>both<\/span> music and <\/span>visual<\/span> arts. <\/span>His<\/span> father<\/span> taught<\/span> music, and <\/span>his<\/span> mother<\/span> was<\/span> trained<\/span> in <\/span>classical<\/span> singing<\/span> at the <\/span>conservatory<\/span>. He <\/span>took<\/span> violin<\/span> and <\/span>drawing<\/span> lessons<\/span> in <\/span>his<\/span> youth<\/span>. <\/span>His<\/span> maternal<\/span> grandmother<\/span> encouraged<\/span> him<\/span> to <\/span>choose<\/span> the <\/span>visual<\/span> arts, as <\/span>he<\/span> already<\/span> demonstrated<\/span> a certain talent.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Front<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Thus, Paul Klee began his apprenticeship alongside Heinrich <\/strong><\/a><\/span>Knirr<\/span><\/strong>,<\/strong> recognized as Adolf Hitler’s official portrait painter. In 1900, he joined the Munich Academy of Fine Arts and furthered his studies at the Bern Academy of Fine Arts. Finally, he broadened his artistic horizons by taking a trip to Italy with his sculptor friend Hermann Haller<\/strong><\/a> to discover the painters of the Quattrocento.<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Munich, the Discovery<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The name “Blue Rider” refers to Kandinsky’s<\/a> <\/strong>1903 painting, <\/span><\/span>Der Blaue Reiter<\/span><\/span><\/strong>. Furthermore, the horse can be identified as an ideal of freedom for <\/span>the artists<\/span>, and <\/span>the color blue<\/span> refers to notions of spirituality and contrasts with red, which symbolizes violence. This group was a first step towards abstraction.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Wassily
Wassily Kandinsky, The Blue Rider, 1903, oil on canvas, 62.1 x 54.6 cm, Zurich, E.G. B\u00fchrle Foundation <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
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\"Franz
Franz Marc, <\/span><\/span>The Large Blue Horses<\/span><\/span>, 1911, oil on canvas, United States, Minneapolis, Walker Art Center<\/a><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The Inventions<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Upon his arrival in Munich in 1906, Klee had the opportunity to <\/span>exhibit<\/span> his series of <\/span>etchings,  <\/span><\/span>Inventions<\/span>, <\/span><\/span>at the Secession exhibition. Founded in 1892, the Munich Secession<\/strong><\/a> brought together artists who sought to break with the academicism of traditional Bavarian art institutions.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul Klee created his <\/span><\/span>Inventions <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/strong>between 1903 and 1905, inspired by the Impressionists and printmakers such as Francisco Goya<\/strong><\/a>.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Paul
Paul Klee, <\/span><\/span>The Virgin in the Tree (Jungfrau <\/span>im<\/span> Baum), Inventions (<\/span>Inventionen<\/span>)<\/span><\/span>, 1903, etching, New York, MoMA<\/a><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Paul
Paul Klee, <\/span><\/span>The Actor (<\/span>Komiker<\/span>), Inventions (<\/span>Inventionen<\/span>)<\/span><\/span>, 1904, etching and aquatint, New York, MoMA<\/a><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Paul
Paul Klee, <\/span><\/span>A Man Sinking Before the Crown (Ein Mann <\/span>versinkt<\/span> vor<\/span> der Krone)<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>Inventions (<\/span>Inventionen<\/span>)<\/span><\/span>, 1904, etching and aquatint, New York, MoMA<\/a><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Paul
Paul Klee, <\/span><\/span>The Hero with a Wing (Der Held <\/span>mit<\/span> dem <\/span>Fl\u00fcgel<\/span>)<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>Inventions (<\/span>Inventionen<\/span>),<\/span><\/span> 1905, etching and <\/span>drypoint<\/span>, New York, MoMA<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

This sample of the eleven works that make up the <\/span><\/span>Inventions<\/span><\/span> series highlights the small variations in technique over the course of two years of work. At the beginning of his career, his works remained <\/span>figurative<\/span> and the colors were still dull. From the 1910s onwards, the artist became particularly active. He founded the Sema<\/strong><\/a> group in 1911, which lasted only two years. In 1912, he joined the Der Blaue Reiter group and in 1913 the New Munich Secession.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blossoming in Tunisia<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

His journal, which he kept until 1917, is a valuable aid to researchers. It was published in several languages and <\/span>contains<\/span> one of his most famous quotes: “Color possesses me. Color and I are one. I am a <\/em><\/strong><\/span>painter.”<\/span><\/em><\/strong> Here, he shares the influence of Tunisian colors on these works, which <\/span>demonstrate<\/span> a notable change.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Paul
Paul Klee,<\/span><\/span> Hammamet and Its Mosque<\/span><\/span>, 1914, Watercolor and graphite on paper mounted on cardboard, 23.8 x 22.2 cm, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art<\/a><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
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\"Paul
Paul Klee, <\/span><\/span>Red and White Domes<\/span><\/span>, 1914, Watercolor and gouache on paper, mounted on cardboard, 14.6 x 13.7 cm, Germany, D\u00fcsseldorf, <\/span>Kunstsammlung<\/span> Nordrhein-Westfalen<\/span><\/a><\/span> <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
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\"Paul
Paul Klee, <\/span><\/span>Carpet of Remembrance<\/span><\/span><\/a>, 1914-1923, Switzerland, Bern, Zentrum Paul Klee<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Paul Klee now sought to materialize the invisible, starting with an economy of pictorial means. This intensified with the arrival of war, just a few months after his return from Tunisia. According to him, representing reality in a serene environment was easier than in a tormented one. This is why artists tend to turn more readily to abstraction when the environment is challenging. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Paul
Paul Klee, <\/span><\/span>Anatomy of Aphrodite<\/span><\/span>, 1915, Paper, watercolor on chalk ground, mounted on support, 20 x 13.6 cm, Japan, Miyagi Museum of Art<\/a><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
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\"Paul
Paul Klee, Eros, 1923, paint and watercolor on paper, 33.3 x 24.5 cm, Switzerland, Lucerne, Sammlung Rosengart <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

1930, Klee Alone at MoMA<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Paul Klee was an innovative artist in terms of the techniques and media he used. His motifs, which straddled reality and abstraction, attracted criticism. Indeed, the artist did not seek to represent what was universally seen, but rather his own perception of the observed object. It could also be an emotion that crossed his mind at a specific moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, his inseparable connection with music was an integral part of his art. Some attest that he regularly played the violin before composing a visual work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, the Museum of Modern Art<\/strong><\/a> (MoMA) in New York decided to dedicate a solo exhibition<\/strong><\/a> to him in 1930. It was the museum’s first exhibition dedicated to a living European artist. Contemporary MoMA director Alfred Barr<\/strong> reported some public <\/span>protest<\/span>. Nevertheless, American viewers perceived Paul Klee’s genius earlier than Europeans. Today, the artist enjoys unprecedented success.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In April 1914, Paul Klee traveled to Tunisia<\/strong><\/a> with two other painters: Auguste Macke and Louis <\/strong><\/span>Moilliet<\/span><\/strong>. For twelve days, they explored the panoramas of Tunis, Sidi Bou Said, and Kairouan<\/a>.<\/strong> This trip had <\/span>a great influence<\/span> on Klee’s style. He discovered new lights, colors, and <\/span>a lush<\/span> nature. These discoveries would have a lasting influence on his style. The figurative artist increasingly tended toward abstraction.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few years after meeting the young pianist Lily Stumpf<\/strong>, the couple married and moved to Munich in 1906. There, they discovered French Post-Impressionism and the Blue Rider.<\/strong><\/a> The Blue Rider was a group jointly founded by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc<\/strong> in 1911. This group of Expressionist artists ended in 1914 with the outbreak of World War I.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n