Groynes 1925

Paul Klee made this small watercolor and ink drawing, titled "Groynes," sometime in his career. Looking at all those red, orange and black lines, I feel the artist trying to capture something specific in the world, but then, I can see how he simplifies it, almost like writing in code. The marks aren't descriptive, but more evocative, suggesting an inner state or feeling about a place rather than the place itself. I can imagine him playing with this drawing, changing it, and shifting it. Klee uses transparent washes of color to build up the image in layers, so it's like he's both discovering it and inventing it. He was a funny guy, Klee. He influenced a lot of painters. It's like he was having a conversation with the cubists and surrealists of his time. Like all artists, he was in deep dialogue with the history of painting. The end result is that he adds to the conversation with his own unique voice.