About Paul Klee

Paul Klee was one of the most inventive and admired painters to emerge from the 20th-century rebellion against representational, or realistic, art. Fantasy and striking use of color characterize his work.

In many ways, Swiss-born German artist Paul Klee was as much a creative scientist as an artist. Throughout his career he experimented with various media and developed innovative techniques to compelling aesthetic ends.

An ingenious craftsman, Klee exploited an astonishing array of both traditional and unorthodox tools and techniques. A surviving paintbox contains such unusual painting utensils as screws, nails, pins, a dinner knife, and instruments from a manicure set. He is also known to have used his fingers to paint and to have made his own brushes.

Klee's persistent technical experiments produced a vastly diverse repertoire of visual effects. So innovative was the artist's use of materials and tools that careful examination of his works often leads to as many questions as answers about his media and methods.

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