Creative Cauldron - Paul Klee

Artist inspiration and artist influences. No biographies, dates or scholarly research here -  this is a personal response to the work of Paul Klee by Australian artist Fiona Morgan.

Twittering Machine - possible my all time favourite painting

I've been putting off writing this post on Paul Klee as I knew it would be such a difficult one for me to write. There are so many paintings of his that I admire that choosing would be a nightmare. It was. Which is why I ended up deciding to include so many.

Ad Marginem

What is it that attracts me to so many paintings of this one artist? For starters, he worked small and so was able to make an incredible number of paintings. There are many more to choose from than usual. In an age (ie. now) where massive paintings get the most kudos, it's good to be reminded that size is not everything.

Ancient Harmony

Fig Tree

But this idea of size is only a side interest. What I love about Paul Klee's work is the childlike quality. The innocence. The playfullness. The intimacy. It's the same set of qualities that attracts me to the work of a number of cartoonists, Michael Leunig in particular.

Good Place For Fish

The Mountain of the Sacred Cat

At the moment there is a fashion for whimsy, which also makes use of this set of qualities along with a dose of nostalgia. I'm not sure what it is about whimsy that repels me, perhaps it's that it feels a little contrived and sugar or even saccharine coated. So I guess there's another ingredient in Klee's work too, something approaching genuineness.

Polyphon Gefasstes Weiss

Paul Klee was already an excellent musician when he decided to become a visual artist. Many people, including myself, sense that his paintings are pictures of music. Music is an excellent form for conveying emotion and these works are like visual poems, evoking moods (with what I find to be an enjoyable touch of intellectualism)

Ripe Harvest

I also enjoy the sense of calm that always seems to be present in these paintings. Although I know that some of them are anti war paintings, I look at them and feel they have all come from a very centred and still place. There's no guts or glory or anxiety ridden navel gazing. They are quiet pictures.

Signes En Jaune

His art often contains some symbolism, something that often seems to attract me to artworks when it's done with subtlety. Another common attraction I've begun to notice is tonally related or limited colour.

Paukenspiele

Paul Klee was incredible for experimenting. Materials, style, techniques, subjects. This I admire. His experimental approach meant that he developed his own visual style and did not follow trends of the day. What a fabulous legacy, though I imagine his experimenting with materials causes conservators endless headaches. While I aim to avoid making art that won't last, I do value trying new ways of doing things and not swallowing 'it's always been done this way' without thinking.

More Paul Klee paintings

A Childrens Game

Composition

Bird Garden

Abenteur Schiff

Abstract Composition of Houses

Ad Parnassum

Analysis of Diverse Perversities

Around The Kernel

Castle Garden

Castle and Sun

Cat and Bird

Fire in the Evening

Fish Magic

Flora di Roccia

Flower Myth

Fruchte Auf  Rot

Gedanken Bei Schnee

Heroic Strokes of the Bow

Homes Of The Tree

Im Bachschen Stil

Insula Dulcamara

La Belle Jardiniere

Lady Apart

Landscape with Yellow Birds

Main Lane and Side Lanes

Mask of Fear

Orpheus

Pastoral (rhythms)

Picture Album

Red Balloon

Rose Garden

Rote Weste

Scheidung Abends

Senecio

Sinbad the Sailor

The Golden Fish

Three Houses and a Bridge

Cathedrals

More Paul Klee links

Paul Klee Centre http://www.zpk.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Klee

About the Creative Cauldron series of posts

The Creative Cauldron series of posts explores and showcases the visual styles, techniques, attitudes, ideas, artists and paintings that have had the most impact on me. 

The rest of the series is accessible via the Creative Cauldron page. Have a meander if you please, and remember to check out my artworks on Flickr, and have an insider peek at life as an artist on Facebook.