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Klee
Thinking eye: A unique language of symbols, literature, and light With meticulous theories and many thousands of paintings, drawings, and watercolors, Paul Klee (1879-1940)is considered one of the mostcerebral and prolific leaders of 20th century European art. Though typically small in scale, his works are remarkable for their sophisticated thought and meticulous nuances of line, color, and tonality.Klee s stylistic formation was shaped by early affiliation with the German expressionist groupDer Blaue Reiterand, in particular, by a 1914 trip to Tunisia which transformed his use of color. After the war, he taught at the esteemedBauhaus school, where his lectures, like his emerging practice, emphasized the symbolic potential of shade, line, and geometry. Klee was also inspired byCubism, poetry, music, literature, language, and the simplistic power ofchildren s art. Famed for his simple stick figures, he often combined the appearance of untutored naivety with rigorous composition and intellectual significance.This book provides a selection of key Klee works to introduce his style and influence. From sun-drenched landscapes to enigmatic wordplay, discover a world at once simplistic, symbolic, and dazzlingly colorful. About the Series: Each book in TASCHEN s Basic Art series features: a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance a concise biography approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions "
96 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 8, 2022
Art does not reproduce the visible, but makes visible.
(Twittering Machine, 1922)
(The Goldfish, 1925)
(With the eagle, 1918)
(summary in progress)
(Twittering Machine, 1922)
(The Goldfish, 1925)
(With the eagle, 1918)
(summary in progress)
June 22, 2025
Paul Klee was a prolific Swiss and German artist best known for his extensive work, influenced by cubism, expressionism, and surrealism.
Who Was Paul Klee?
Paul Klee participated in and was influenced by various artistic movements, including surrealism, cubism, and expressionism. He taught art in Germany until 1933, when the National Socialists declared his work indecent. As a result, the Klee family fled to Switzerland, where he died on June 29, 1940.
Early Life
Klee was born in Münchenbuchsee, Switzerland, on December 18, 1879. The son of a music teacher, Klee was a talented violinist who received an invitation to play with the Bern Music Association at age 11.
As a teenager, Klee’s attention turned from music to the visual arts. In 1898, he began studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. By 1905, he had developed signature techniques, including drawing with a needle on a blackened pane of glass. Between 1903 and 1905, he completed a set of etchings called Inventions, his first exhibited work.
Rise to Prominence
In 1906, Klee married Bavarian pianist Lily Stumpf. The couple had a son, Felix Paul. Klee’s artwork progressed slowly for the next five years. Then, in 1910, he had his first solo exhibition in Bern, traveling to three Swiss cities.
In January 1911, Klee met art critic Alfred Kubin, who introduced him to artists and critics. That winter, Klee joined the editorial team of the journal Der Blaue Reiter, co-founded by Franz Marc and Wassily Kandinsky. He began working on color experiments in watercolors and landscapes, including the painting In the Quarry.
Klee’s artistic breakthrough came in 1914 after a trip to Tunisia. Inspired by the light in Tunis, Klee began to delve into abstract art. Returning to Munich, Klee painted his first pure abstract, In the Style of Kairouan, composed of colored rectangles and circles.
Klee’s work evolved during World War I, particularly following the deaths of his friends Auguste Macke and Franz Marc. In reaction to this loss, Klee created several pen-and-ink lithographs, including Death for the Idea. Then, in 1916, he joined the German army, painting camouflage on airplanes and working as a clerk.
By 1917, art critics began classifying Klee as one of the best young German artists. A three-year contract with dealer Hans Goltz brought exposure and commercial success.
Klee taught at the Bauhaus from 1921 to 1931 alongside his friend Kandinsky. Then, in 1923, Kandinsky and Klee formed the Blue Four with two other artists, Alexej von Jawlensky and Lyonel Feininger, and toured the United States to lecture and exhibit work. Klee had his first exhibit in Paris, finding favor with the French surrealists.
Klee began teaching at the Dusseldorf Academy in 1931. The Klee family moved to Switzerland in late 1933. Two years later, he had fired under Nazi rule. Klee was at the peak of his creative output during this tumultuous period. He produced nearly 500 works in a single year and created Ad Parnassum, widely considered his masterpiece.
Source: https://www.biography.com/artist/paul...
Who Was Paul Klee?
Paul Klee participated in and was influenced by various artistic movements, including surrealism, cubism, and expressionism. He taught art in Germany until 1933, when the National Socialists declared his work indecent. As a result, the Klee family fled to Switzerland, where he died on June 29, 1940.
Early Life
Klee was born in Münchenbuchsee, Switzerland, on December 18, 1879. The son of a music teacher, Klee was a talented violinist who received an invitation to play with the Bern Music Association at age 11.
As a teenager, Klee’s attention turned from music to the visual arts. In 1898, he began studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. By 1905, he had developed signature techniques, including drawing with a needle on a blackened pane of glass. Between 1903 and 1905, he completed a set of etchings called Inventions, his first exhibited work.
Rise to Prominence
In 1906, Klee married Bavarian pianist Lily Stumpf. The couple had a son, Felix Paul. Klee’s artwork progressed slowly for the next five years. Then, in 1910, he had his first solo exhibition in Bern, traveling to three Swiss cities.
In January 1911, Klee met art critic Alfred Kubin, who introduced him to artists and critics. That winter, Klee joined the editorial team of the journal Der Blaue Reiter, co-founded by Franz Marc and Wassily Kandinsky. He began working on color experiments in watercolors and landscapes, including the painting In the Quarry.
Klee’s artistic breakthrough came in 1914 after a trip to Tunisia. Inspired by the light in Tunis, Klee began to delve into abstract art. Returning to Munich, Klee painted his first pure abstract, In the Style of Kairouan, composed of colored rectangles and circles.
Klee’s work evolved during World War I, particularly following the deaths of his friends Auguste Macke and Franz Marc. In reaction to this loss, Klee created several pen-and-ink lithographs, including Death for the Idea. Then, in 1916, he joined the German army, painting camouflage on airplanes and working as a clerk.
By 1917, art critics began classifying Klee as one of the best young German artists. A three-year contract with dealer Hans Goltz brought exposure and commercial success.
Klee taught at the Bauhaus from 1921 to 1931 alongside his friend Kandinsky. Then, in 1923, Kandinsky and Klee formed the Blue Four with two other artists, Alexej von Jawlensky and Lyonel Feininger, and toured the United States to lecture and exhibit work. Klee had his first exhibit in Paris, finding favor with the French surrealists.
Klee began teaching at the Dusseldorf Academy in 1931. The Klee family moved to Switzerland in late 1933. Two years later, he had fired under Nazi rule. Klee was at the peak of his creative output during this tumultuous period. He produced nearly 500 works in a single year and created Ad Parnassum, widely considered his masterpiece.
Source: https://www.biography.com/artist/paul...
March 22, 2020
I am not a fan of Klee, but i am always interested to find out how did abstract painters get to their style and what are the messages behind their art.
This book explores very well the life journey of Klee from childhood to becoming and artist and then to loosing all his fame as an artist due to political situation in Nazi Germany.
I love how much of his personal life is reflected in his art, how much of his art is influenced by the context where he lived, how much he let himself be influenced by other artists at the time, and how despite any trends in art he kept being devoted to his own experiments and style.
The books has plenty of paintings, more then are being analysed in the book, and it is filled with paintings reviews from the time when they were for the first time exposed, descriptions by Klee himself taken from his diaries and modern interpretations of the paintings.
Loved it!
This book explores very well the life journey of Klee from childhood to becoming and artist and then to loosing all his fame as an artist due to political situation in Nazi Germany.
I love how much of his personal life is reflected in his art, how much of his art is influenced by the context where he lived, how much he let himself be influenced by other artists at the time, and how despite any trends in art he kept being devoted to his own experiments and style.
The books has plenty of paintings, more then are being analysed in the book, and it is filled with paintings reviews from the time when they were for the first time exposed, descriptions by Klee himself taken from his diaries and modern interpretations of the paintings.
Loved it!
March 8, 2024
Een sympathieke benadering van een origineel kunstenaar. Klee was zowel musicus als schilder en ontwikkelde een eigen beeldtaal die soms te begrijpen is en soms niet. Hij vertaalt zijn gevoelens en opvattingen in abstracte vormen en kleuren, soms helder en soms somber. Zijn gevoelens weet hij soms zeer indringend uit te drukken in beelden. De verschrikkelijke tijd waarin hij leefde heeft vanaf 1933 zijn leven verziekt en waarschijnlijk zijn ziekte opgewekt.
Entartete kunst is revolutionair, origineel en werd daarom gezien als links en gevaarlijk.
Entartete kunst is revolutionair, origineel en werd daarom gezien als links en gevaarlijk.
November 16, 2017
A brief overview of the artist's most valuable works in correspondence to the drama and inspiration in Klee's life.
April 30, 2019
“I cannot be grasped in the here and now
For my dwelling place is as much among the dead
As the yet unborn
Slightly closer to the heart of creation than usual
But still not close enough”
For my dwelling place is as much among the dead
As the yet unborn
Slightly closer to the heart of creation than usual
But still not close enough”
July 26, 2019
A concise biography going to an appropriate level of depth and analysis without getting bogged down. Lovely big pictures. Enjoyed as an introduction to the artist and his work
June 17, 2021
I remember seeing some of his work in https://www.philamuseum.org/calendar/...
and have been intrigued. I enjoy the education in painting and prose.
and have been intrigued. I enjoy the education in painting and prose.
November 16, 2022
A nice compact little book that charts the course of Klee's life & artistic development, & how the two influenced each other. A little confusing with the dates at times, constantly jumping ahead & back a few years as the stories progress; but overall not too difficult to follow & the abundance of images of Klee's work more than make up for it.
April 30, 2009
An great introduction to an artist I hadn't even heard of before seeing this in the shop, and whose work I now like a lot. This entire series of Taschen books strikes me as excellent value for money. Look at the pretty pictures! (But find out about them too!)
April 10, 2016
Taschen do such a good job with their reasonably priced art books and this is no exception.
July 7, 2016
Provides a great insight towards the genius of the Swiss-German artist who fought conventions of his time. Recommended to start reading and exploring into the life and works of Paul Klee.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews