Fruits on Red 1930

Paul Klee made "Fruits on Red" with paint, on what looks like paper, and you can see how he’s letting the ground peek through and inform the image. It feels like a process of building up and scraping away, of letting accident and intention dance together. The red is almost like a stain, unifying the composition, but it's not flat; it has its own texture, its own life. Look at how these whimsical, almost childlike shapes of fruits, flowers and musical notes are drawn. Each line is so delicate, so considered, that they create a whole world on the canvas. The color is a really warm, rusty red, like an old brick wall, and it’s got these little marks and scratches that give it so much personality. It’s this kind of detail that makes Klee feel like he’s not just painting a picture but he’s creating a whole atmosphere. Klee reminds me a little of Miró, both of them finding ways to make painting feel like play, like a language only they know how to speak.