December birthdays 1
10/12/2013 13:44
Text by L. Sz. (8/b).
Paul Klee
(18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940)
Paul Klee was a painter born in Münchenbuchsee, Switzerland, and is considered to be a German-Swiss. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included Expressionism, Cubism and Surrealism. He was also a student of orientalism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented with and eventually got deep into color theory.
" First of all, the art of living; then as my ideal profession, poetry and philosophy, and as my real profession, plastic arts; in the last resort, for lack of income, illustrations. "
—Paul Klee.In 1919, Klee applied for a teaching post at the Academy of Art in Düsseldorf. This attempt failed but he had a major success in securing a three-year contract (with a minimum annual income) with dealer Hans Goltz, whose influential gallery gave Klee major exposure, and some commercial success. A retrospective of over 300 works in 1920 was also notable.Klee taught at the Bauhaus from January 1921 to April 1931. He was a "Form" master in bookbinding, stained glass, and mural painting workshops and was provided with two studios.In 1922, Kandinsky joined the staff and resumed his friendship with Klee. Later that year the first Bauhaus exhibition and festival was held, for which Klee created several of the advertising materials.Klee was at the peak of his creative output. His Ad Parnassum (1932) is considered his masterpiece and the best example of his pointillist style; it is also one of his largest, most finely worked paintings.He produced nearly 500 works in 1933 during his last year in Germany. However, in 1933, Klee began experiencing the symptoms of what was diagnosed as scleroderma after his death.Red Balloon, 1922, Oil on muslin primed with chalk, 31.8 x 31.1 cm. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York(Source: https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/2143)
