Spotlight on Paul Klee

Who was Paul Klee? A man, an artist, an independent legend in his own time. He was born December 18th, 1879 in Münchenbuchsee near Bern, Switzerland. Well versed in musical training from both of his musically inclined parents, Klee was an accomplished violinist, but during his teen years his interest veered towards the visual arts. In 1898, he enrolled at The Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, Germany and spent three years studying art there. During this early period, Klee created mostly etchings, pen-and-ink drawings as well as a number of caricatures. He was the first to admit though that the use of colour was something that he struggled with.

Woman & Animal - 1904

In 1906, Klee married and settled into the Munich suburbs where an avant-garde community thrived. While his pianist wife earned an income for them, Klee tended house and took care of their son, while working on his art on the side. He continued to create etchings and had his first exhibition in Bern in 1910. A turning point in his artistic career came when he met Kandinsky in 1911. This meeting was to begin a lifelong friendship for Klee and an important source of encouragement and support for his artistry. He also met Robert Delaunay in 1912, who introduced Klee to a different take on colour with his vibrant usage of it.

Hammamet with Its Mosque - 1914 

It wasn't until Klee ventured to Tunisia in 1914 that he finally had an awakening in his exploration of colour. The light of the African nation helped him to embrace hues and tones in a way that he had never been able to grasp before. It also marked a break with his previous landscapes, as from this point forward, Klee explored the world of abstract art in a way that was all his own. He painted with an eye to the fantastic, in subjects that often had whims of fancy, personal interpretations and more often than not, a nod to his musical upbringing.

Ad Parnassum - 1932

While World War I reduced the output of Klee's artwork, it by no means ended his career. When he wasn't painting aircraft, he managed to create lithographs and his paintings sold well enough to make quite a name for himself. It was no surprise then, when he began teaching at the Bauhaus (a school dedicated to architecture, industrial design and arts & crafts) in 1920. He taught bookbinding, metal art, weaving, and wrote essays regarding colour theory during his ten years at this new-age school. He further taught at the Dusseldorf Academy from 1931-33, but the rise of the Nazi regime put an end to his time in Germany. He returned to Switzerland, but 1933 also marked the beginning of his battle with scleroderma, the disease that would eventually take his life.

Red Waistcoat -1938

Over his lifetime, Klee was influenced by Cubism, Expressionism, Surrealism and of course Abstract artwork. What he accomplished surpassed all of these movements in a style all his own. His dry sense of humour and childlike perspective were evident in the more than 10,000 paintings that he created before his death on June 29th, 1940. The political climates that he lived through shaped not only his world, but also his canvases. The music that filled his soul could likewise be seen in his creations, as well as the influence of poetry, dreams and more. As far as mediums went, he explored oils, pastels, watercolours, ink, etchings and used materials such as burlap, muslin, gauze, fabric, wallpaper, cardboard, metal foil and even canvas. You could often see a mixture of these mediums, styles or materials encompassed in a single piece of artwork.

Click here for a one line drawing art idea inspired by Paul Klee.

Spotlight on Edvard Munch

Self Portrait 1881-1882

Edvard Munch was born on December 12, 1863 in Løten, Norway to Christian Munch and Laura Catherine Bjølstad. He was the second oldest, in a family of five children. Sadly, his mother died in 1868 from tuberculosis, followed not long after, from the same deadly disease, by his oldest sister in 1877. While his aunt took over in raising himself and his remaining siblings, these events coloured Munch's outlook on life for years to come.

Not a healthy young man in his own right, Munch spent much of his youth out of school, usually at home drawing to fill the hours. His father instructed him in history and literature, but art was his true passion from an early age. In 1879 he entered a technical school to study engineering, but a year later, much to his father's disappointment, he left to pursue a career as a painter. By 1881, he was enrolled at the Royal School of Art and Design and in 1883 he took part in his first public exhibition.

The Sick Child - 1886

Munch created many self-portraits throughout his life, but through associations with Christian Krohg and Hans Jaegger, his work slowly started to transform during his early formative years. Krohg was a Naturalist painter that influenced Munch during his time at the Royal School of Art and Design. Jaeger was a local nihilist and member of the 'Christiania's Bohemia', who urged Munch to delve into his emotions within his artwork. It was during this time that he worked on his soul diaries, and also when he created one of his first well known paintings 'The Sick Child'. This dark painting spoke of his sister's death, but also of the depressing mindset that he lingered under. He struggled with the concept of a soul in conflict with nature and his work reflected that at the time. As his skill grew, he found that the Impressionism that he had first utilized did not adequately express the angst that was in his soul and he moved towards a post-Impressionistic style.

The Scream - 1893

In 1889, Munch displayed a collection of his works at the Student Organization in Christiania. It was so well received that he earned himself a two-year scholarship to the Bonnat School of Art in Paris. There he was introduced to works from painters such as Gauguin, Van Gogh and Toulose-Lautrec, who all used colour to depict emotions. He took these concepts and made them his own. That same year, his father died, leaving the care of his remaining siblings under his responsibility. His father's death increased the underlying depression that plagued Munch throughout his life, but he managed to carry on. Sadly, his work during that time reflected his means of coping, namely depictions of dark taverns where he tried to drown his sorrows.

By 1892, a bright spot entered Munch's life in the form of an invitation to exhibit his work at an exhibition with the Union of Berlin Artists in Germany. While his artwork caused enough controversy to shut down the exhibition after only one week, this pleased him enough to make Berlin home for the next four years. During his time there, he worked on his 'Frieze of Life', which was a collection of pieces that represented life, death, anxiety, hopelessness, jealousy and sexual humiliation. They caused a stir that could not be ignored.  Munch also began to experiment with lithographs, woodcuts and photographs to allow his artwork to be seen by a wider audience.

The Day After - 1894

The depression that plagued Munch throughout his life came to a head in 1908. Always prone to the drink, after a devastating breakup with Tulla Larsen, he became a heavy drinker and suffered from even more health problems. By the fall of the that year, he checked himself into a clinic in Copenhagen and remained there for eight months. The effects of his treatment are seen in his subsequent artwork, as his tone was often less dark and pessimistic after that.

During his remaining years, Munch led a more secluded lifestyle. He finally won recognition and praise in his home country and was able to buy property in Ekly, Norway. While he continued to paint, landscapes now reigned, as well as many portraits. The war years were difficult for him, as he had many friends in Germany, but did not support Hitler's regime. When the Nazis took over Norway, he subsequently hid all of his artwork to prevent it from being discovered. On January 23, 1944 Edvard Munch died peacefully at home.

Munch was nothing, if not a master of emotion. His use of colour and raw emotion lent itself to many dramatic works that are just as familiar today as they were then. His iconic painting "The Scream" is recognized by one and all and this coming Saturday, Budding Artists will be exploring the life and styles of this gifted painter. So if you have a budding artist in your home, why not think about having them join us for our art workshop this week.