Project briefs and meetings

The artist is Paul Klee. I have long been intrigued by what theory might sit behind his work. His paintings often feel “just right.” When I look at them, I get a distinct sense of a kindred spirit — as though I’m thinking, yes, that’s exactly how it feels to me too.

Whether he is presenting a figure, a landscape, a tree, buildings, or something more abstract, his work consistently feels as though it is exactly as it should be. It seems to correlate with my own memories of certain visual experiences I’ve had throughout my life. This has led me to wonder: what system was he using to achieve this, time and again, across his career?

I’ve enjoyed exploring this question for this post, and I found answers in some unexpected places. Below are links to several videos. One is a history lecture about Klee’s life and creative development. Another is a cartoon aimed at children, designed to explain the central elements of his compositional method. The remaining two are aimed at school students and demonstrate techniques he used.

I learned something from all of them. Interestingly, the cartoon is one I would probably have skipped if it weren’t for my daughter asking me to stop and watch it with her — and it turned out to be one of the most insightful. My suggestion is to watch them all, including the cartoon. Be patient, as it is aimed at young children, but there is a clear and surprisingly rich idea at its centre.

In one section, the characters dance and sing about the connection between one of Klee’s abstract paintings and music theory — where rhythm is built on a grid structure. Much like music, which creates engaging rhythms within a formal structure of lines and bars, Klee’s compositions allow rhythm to play across an underlying framework, keeping the viewer engaged.

Watching this alongside the video about Klee’s life works particularly well. The videos offering techniques to try may also be of interest if you’d like to experiment with these ideas yourself, or adapt them in a way that suits your current practice.

I recomend watching the four videos in the order below. post work or thoughts in the forum. I am very interested to hear if any of this resonates and how it resonates with you. For me im certainly going to be thinking about grids and structure and the whole picture space the next time i make a picture... enjoy ... the cartoon: https://youtu.be/eqHJ9gDLkL8?si=YuKlm8AvGvzoxL_g

History of his life and work: https://youtu.be/_QezvWUxiwI?si=UXJnzotcPm2frZfU Techniques to try:

https://youtu.be/SdHWTwGArsA?si=ubPSjSWLk7yT-R17 https://youtu.be/CrEMhM8JZRc?si=jqzzzhYnN7eYv-f4