Paul KleeGerman, 1879–1940C. - C. = Fisch
May one see it?
Not receiving at present
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Minneapolis, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
With the title C. - C. = Fisch, Paul Klee emphasizes the creative process at the heart of his drawing. According to the equation, Klee subtracted one letter C from another to form the fish's body, with the extended intersection of the two mirrored Cs defining the tail fin. The fish's eye and lateral fin can be discerned among a tangle of expressive, freely-drawn lines that also suggest a sense of motion, as if the fish is swimming forward. Throughout the compostion, Klee emphasizes the basic geometric elements of shape and line that are characteristic of much of his work, while reminding us that the artmaking process itself is the essential part of the picture. The notation S.cl on the mount of the drawing means Sonderclasse, or Special class in English. It was inscribed by Klee to identify those works he especially liked.
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Particulars
- Accession number
- 77.41
In the catalog
Sources
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Image: Minneapolis Institute of Art — © Minneapolis Institute of Art
Meanwhile, in the life of Paul Klee
The whole life1921–1931
The preliminary course on the “theory of form”
Klee developed a preliminary course in the “theory of form” that began with the “point as the beginning of all beginnings”, moving through space, and the “cosmic egg” from which line, spiral, square, circle and cube are born. Students listened to lectures illustrated with Klee’s own abstract watercolours and then painted their own, trying to express movement, balance, flight and tension.
1928–1929
A journey to Egypt
Egypt impressed Klee less than Tunisia, yet in the desert he felt an almost mystical bond with the land: he was drawn to the proportions of the ancient funerary monuments and to the esoteric numerology by which they were built. His later “Ad Parnassum” was influenced by the trip.
1931
Leaving the Bauhaus for the Düsseldorf Academy
Teaching at the Bauhaus shifted ever more from painting towards an architectural aesthetic, which no longer suited Klee: in 1931 he gave up his post there and became a professor at the Düsseldorf Academy of Art.
1933
Nazi harassment, a house search and dismissal
When the Nazis came to power a campaign of persecution was launched against Klee: the press called him a “typical Galician Jew”, his flat in Dessau was searched, and in Düsseldorf he was barred from work until he produced documents proving Aryan descent. He was forced to give up his professorship.
late 1933
Emigration to Switzerland
At the end of 1933, at his wife’s insistence, Klee left Germany and returned to Bern. He applied for Swiss citizenship, but a positive answer came only after his death.
1933–1934
Shows in London and Paris, and a meeting with Picasso
In 1933–34 Klee had shows in London and Paris and finally met Pablo Picasso, whom he greatly admired.
