PAUL KLEE FLS – German Unit

ABOUT THE ARTIST Klee was born on December 18, 1879, in Münchenbuchsee, Switzerland. His training as a painter began in Munich in 1898 where he studied drawing and painting for three years. By 1911, he became involved with the German Expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), founded by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc in His work was influenced by the Cubism of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, and the abstract translucent color planes of Robert Delaunay.

FAMOUS PAINTINGS

CASTLE AND SUN – 1928

Paul Klee executed the cubism technique in this painting. The clay colored background gives viewers a clearer view of how the figures seem to form a city skyline of intense color and light. This oil on canvas painting has a complex array of triangular and rectangular figures to provide an imaginary metropolis of shapes.

SENECIO – 1922

Senecio is a manifestation of Paul’s sense of humor and African culture. The simple colors and shapes, Paul makes use of various shades of orange, red, and yellow to reveal portrait of an old man. Artistic use of shapes gives the false impression that one eye brows is raised. His left eye brow is represented by a triangle while the other one is made of a simple curved line. The portrait is also called Head of a Man Going Senile and intentionally mimics children’s artwork by using ambiguous shapes and forms with minimal facial details.

CAT AND BIRD – 1928

Cat and Bird is an animal painting in the Expressionism style. The cat appears to be “all head,” and the bird, on cat’s forehead, is symbolic of what the cat is thinking. The cat’s red nose is tipped with a heart, symbolizing his “heart’s desire.”