SFMOMA | Exhibitions

Paul Klee: Conductor of Color



	November 2, 2000 - April 3, 2001 Though renowned for his accomplished draftsmanship, Swiss artist Paul Klee also developed an incredible command of color over the course of his career. With approximately fifteen paintings and works of paper, this focused exhibition takes a fresh look at Klee's wide-ranging experiments with color and its relationships to line, including his use of color as a visual expression of the effects of music.

Paul Klee
Untitled, 1940
Watercolor and paste on paper
Collection SFMOMA
Gift of the Djerassi Art Trust

		An accomplished draftsman from the beginning of his career, German artist Paul Klee (1879-1940) quickly developed a remarkable command of color as well. The artist himself recognized the decisive moment for his mastery of hues. In the spring of 1914, Klee declared in his diaries, "Color possesses me. I don't have to pursue it. It will possess me always. I know it. That is the meaning of this happy hour: Color and I are one. I am a painter." The works on view in this gallery reflect Klee's deep sensitivity to the subtleties of color and the many roles it can play from the descriptive to the evocative. Color serves its traditional function of filling outlined forms in Initiale (Initial), while elsewhere it operates more independently of line. For example, the hazy bright colors in Der Dampfer im Hafen (Steamship in the Harbor) suggest sunlight reflecting off the water, and the brown halo around the figure in Heldenmutter (Hero Mother) imparts a dramatic mood to the work. Works lacking graphic lines highlight color's expressive potential. In Parkbild (Park Construction) the juxtaposition of complementary hues enhances the sense of swirling movement generated by the short, sinuous brushstrokes. A gifted violinist, Klee's first aspiration was to be a musician, and he tended to associate the expressive possibilities of color with those of music. Like music, color creates rhythmical movement through modulation and it largely conveys mood or feeling, rather than narrative content. While many of Klee's titles allude to music--Hoffmanneske Szene (Hoffmannesque Scene) pays homage to the poet and composer E.T.A. Hoffmann's work--the impact of his musical interests extended beyond verbal and visual references. Klee often approached the creative process in a manner reminiscent of a conductor: for instance, he used veils of muted color in Hoffmanneske Szene to create a kind of "musical" setting for the theatrical action depicted in the line drawing. Klee's work as a whole reflects the artist's full command of color and his willingness to fully explore its compositional and thematic roles.

	Paul Klee Hoffmanneske Szene 1921 lithograph Dr. Carl Djerassi collection