“A line is a dot going for a walk.”
– Paul Klee
This week students were given a variety of art materials including: oil pastel, watercoulour and Acrylic paint to play and build geometric shapes in the style of Paul Klee (pronounced “Clay”). We looked at a few of his his many paintings and a few favourites included: Red Balloon 1922, Individualized Altimetry of Stripes 1930 and The Goldfish.
Paul Klee was born in Switzerland in 1879. He was a trained violinist and studied music in Germany and when he was young he loved music and thought he might become a musician when he grew up. He was asked to play the violin with the Bern Music Association at age 11. His grandmother introduced him to drawing and he began to love art as well. He decided to devote himself to art rather than music when he was a young adult. Klee began his art career creating pen-and-ink drawings and etchings. After travelling to Tunisia he fell in love with the colour and light he found there. His fascination with colour and light changed his style of art forever. Klee studied and wrote extensively on colour theory. In 1906 he married Bavarian pianist Lily Stumpf. They had a son named Felix Paul. By 1917, Klee was considered one of the best young German artists by critics, particularly among the French Surrealists.
Klee expressed himself in different styles. His art is a blend of surrealism, cubism and expressionism. He admired the drawings of children and tried to incorporate that energy and simplicity into his work. He taught at the German Bauhaus School of Art with Wassily Kandinsky. In 1923, Kandinsky and Klee formed the Blue Four with two other artists, Alixej von Jawlensky and Lyonel Feininger. They toured the United States to lecture and exhibit work. In 1933 he moved to Switzerland – at the peak of his creative output during this tumultuous period. He produced nearly 500 works in a single year. He died June 29th, 1940 in Switzerland. He was 61 years old.
In today’s class, students were inspired by his geometric painting Static-Dynamic Intensification.
Take a look at these Paul Klee inspired artworks – a tremendous job by our students!
