Parnassum, detail.I thought today would be a great day to celebrate the work of Paul Klee, since he was born on December 18, 1879, exactly 95 years before I was born. Happy Birthday!
Paul Klee was of German/Swiss descent. He is most known for his study and understanding of color theory, and he wrote extensively about it. He wrote, “Colour has taken possession of me; no longer do I have to chase after it, I know that it has hold of me forever... Colour and I are one. I am a painter.”
Garden. Klee taught at the famous
Bauhaus school of art and architecture, which has now evolved into the
Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology. The Bauhaus school originated in Germany and moved to Chicago in the 1930s to avoid Nazi disapproval. The school influenced developments in art and design throughout the first half of the 20th century.
He was deeply inspired by music, and reciprocally, his work has inspired musicians.
Rainer Maria Rilke wrote about Klee in 1921, “Even if you hadn’t told me he plays the violin, I would have guessed that on many occasions his drawings were transcriptions of music.”
Ancient sound.On a completely visceral level, Klee’s paintings are beautiful, spiritual compositions that leave my heart aflutter. But I’m also intrigued by his work as an academic student of design and color. I also live on that line between art and design, and appreciate the interrelationship of a variety of creative expressions.
Parnassum, detail.
Garden.
Ancient sound.
