Das Haus In Der Höhe 1923

Paul Klee made ‘Das Haus In Der Höhe’ with paint of some kind on paper, maybe gouache or watercolor. It looks like he brushed and dabbed on this ochre-y field, then, added the house, a dark shape, and a little figure, hovering. I know, as a painter myself, that I like to get in a zone, into the paint itself. It is clear Klee does too! It must have felt very grounding to apply all those layers, and then build that house right in the centre - a funny, wonky house, like the work of children! It reminds me a bit of other modernists like Miro, who shared this same feeling of making something so weird and awkward, it becomes very free. The little figure on the left seems to be celebrating, while the floating triangle looks like a quirky spirit. It is like he is having a conversation with himself! Painters are always talking to each other, even across time. And isn’t it great that we can eavesdrop?