Girl in Mourning 1939

Paul Klee made this piece, "Girl in Mourning", using paint, on what looks like a textured ground. There’s something so raw and immediate about Klee's application of paint, how he hasn’t blended it all together; you can see each stroke, each layer. It’s like he’s letting us in on his process, showing us how he builds up the image, layer by layer. The colour palette is muted and earthy, with browns, creams, and grays dominating the composition, all applied in thin washes and scrubby marks. Take a look at the dark line. The way it confidently outlines the girl's features, but also feels tentative, like it could easily be erased or changed. It's like Klee is acknowledging the fragility and impermanence of life, the way things can change in an instant. It makes me think of children's drawings and maybe he was looking at that. Klee reminds me of other artists, like Joan Miro, in that his work celebrates the power of the subconscious and imagination. It's an ongoing dialogue between artists, a conversation that spans generations.