Paul Klee

Paul Klee• Paul Klee was born in

Switzerland in 1879.• His artwork had many

influences and he experimented with many different styles.

• He taught with Wassily Kandinskey at the Bauhaus school of art in Germany.

• He died in 1940 at the age of 60.

Red and white Domes (1914)

Southern Gardens (1919)

Dream City (1921)

The Goldfish (1925)

Legend of the Nile (1937)

Embrace (1939)

[Untitled] (1940)

Today we are going to be

looking at Klee’s most famous

painting…

Senecio• Senecio (Old Man)

was painted in 1922.

• Klee said that colour was energy and it created the mood in a painting.

• What do you think the mood is in this painting?

Senecio• Senecio (Old Man) is

about 30cm by 30cm.

• He painted it using oil paints.

• Oil paints are very thick. Can you see the brushstrokes?

Senecio• Klee was proud of his

paintings’ ‘childlike’ nature.

• He felt that childhood was the most creative and pure time of our lives.

• Do you think that this painting is childlike? Why?

Senecio• Klee is reported to

have said “I do not paint. I take a line for a walk.”

• What do you think he meant by this?

Senecio

• Now choose your favourite colour and use your knowledge of creating tints and shades to produce your own version of ‘Senecio’.