Captive 1940

Paul Klee made Captive using paint on fabric, and the way he lays down these simple marks and lets the fabric show through is everything. The texture of the fabric is part of the image and this kind of transparency is not just about how he paints but how he lets the painting exist. It’s like the painting becomes more about the process than the final product. There's a real freedom in that, a kind of lightness. Look at the simple little face near the top, behind bars, kind of sad but kind of not. It's a face that seems like it could be on a child's toy, but it's also a face that is in prison. Klee is a bit like Miro in the way he combines the childish with the profound. They both seem to be saying: lighten up!