A Genius Serves a Small Breakfast (Ein Genius serviert ein kleines Frühstück) 1920

Paul Klee created this etching, "A Genius Serves a Small Breakfast," using a metal plate and etching tools. The process involves drawing an image into a prepared ground on the plate, and then bathing it in acid, which bites into the exposed metal. Look at the stark simplicity achieved with this method; the incised lines have a crisp, almost brittle quality. Each mark is deliberate. The act of etching allows for precise, controlled lines, a testament to Klee’s draughtsmanship, giving the scene an otherworldly feel. Note how the acid renders slight variations in line weight and texture, adding depth to the otherwise minimal composition. Etching emerged in the age of mechanical reproduction, around the 15th century, as a relatively democratic medium. Klee's choice of such a medium suggests an effort to democratize the notion of "genius," bringing it down to earth with this humble scene of breakfast. With his tongue firmly in his cheek, Klee questions hierarchies both social and artistic. It’s a reminder that creativity can be found in the everyday, and that even a genius must eat.