Wüsten-Räuber 1938

Paul Klee made "Desert Robber" sometime, we don't know exactly when, using paint on paper. The whole thing is an act of feeling around, right? This big brown blob is textured with these short, almost scribbled strokes, like he's searching for the form as he goes. There's this little lemon-yellow dot stuck inside, a peep-hole into something unknown, or maybe it's the robber's guilty conscience? Above, you have a more frantic series of marks that appear to evoke some kind of mask or headdress. The texture is thick, troweled on, especially in that brown mass. Look closely, and you can almost feel the drag of the brush. The colors are earthy, muted, but that single spot of yellow is like a jolt. It brings the whole image to life. Klee had a knack for this kind of visual surprise. I wonder if it owes something to his interest in the art of children? Klee's playfulness reminds me a bit of Joan Miró, who similarly blended abstraction with childlike wonder. Both artists remind us that art isn't about answers, but about endless questions.