I didn't find the exhibition on Paul Klee straight away, to get to the exhibition I had to go through the main collection and there where many good art works in the main collection that I kept wondering around and got lost till I found myself in a darker room and then I realised that I was in the Paul Klee exhibition section but there where no signs indicating so from the inside of the main collection to the Paul Klee exhibition which I found peculiar & confusing still it was a well curated exhibition that focused on the influence of Paul Klee's six Italian trips and the influence they had on his art work such as the architecture, landscape, music and classicism. The exhibition is divided in sections: the First section I literally stumble into looks at the periods between 1902-1932 so included in his first trips to Rome,Naples, Florence and then Sicily. They also have a section on his relationship with the Bauhaus ( he thought between 1921 & 1930) while he was teaching there and with the futurism. From the first trip he made satirical zinc etchings named Invenzioni or Inventions with a grotesque classicist inspiration, La Commedia dell' arte, inspired also by Greek mythology and clearly defined is L'eroe con l'ala below, a contemporary Icaro but mutilated who can't fly any more, representing the fragility of modern man. Most of his paintings and drawing that I saw in the exhibition where of a small scale.
I think the strongest Italian influence on Paul Klee was the actual Italian landscape, its vibrant colours & architecture as we can see in Croci & Colonne, Crosses and Columns below a watercolour on paper where there is strong influence of the Byzantine mosaics of Ravenna with a juxtaposition of continually repeated warm and cold colours without any presence of volume so to highlight colour, a dance of colours, inner movement, light more then form while hinting or reviewing french pointillism and using fine lines.
Paul Klee Croci & Colonne 1931
Paul Klee's passion for the Italian landscape is shown again in the piece below; a watercolour of rich vibrant colours of the house where he was staying during his trip in Sicily.
Paul Klee Mazzaro' 1924
Then there is the Nocturnal Festivity, a feast of warm autumnal, earthy colours below. The richness of the oil colours show the painting as highly imaginative with a dream quality to it, they drew me in I kept going back and back to view the painting & I wasn't the only one other viewers where doing the same. I just wanted to be absorbed by the warmth, inner joy they where giving out. The simple way the house had been depicted reminded me of primitive art and the art made by children and again I noticed the importance of nature in Paul Klee's work and it made me think of how I paint my own works and which types of paints I use that it does make a gigantic difference using high quality long lasting paints.
Paul Klee Festa Notturna-Nocturnal festivity 1921
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