Two Ways 1932

Paul Klee made "Two Ways" using watercolour, in a way that feels like he’s teaching himself how to see. The ink is washed, and stained, and maybe blotted in places; the different areas feel like they've emerged through a process, as the artist searches for a form. Look at how Klee layers these translucent squares of grey around the central white square. Each rectangle is a little darker than the last, like a kind of meditation on tone. And then there's the horizontal line, cutting across the composition, two arrows pointing in different directions, simple marks that transform the piece, lending it a directionality that pulls against the contemplative quality of the nested squares. It reminds me a little of Agnes Martin’s quieter pieces. Ultimately, the beauty of Klee’s work lies in its openness, its willingness to embrace ambiguity.