THE COLLECTION
Portrait of an Artist
Paul Klee (German, born Switzerland. 1879-1940)
1927. Oil and collage on cardboard over wood with painted plaster border, 24 7/8 x 15 3/4" (63.2 x 40 cm). Mrs. Simon Guggenheim Fund. © 2009 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
195.1966
2006
Here Klee has portrayed an artist as tightrope walker—an elongated stick figure with bent knee and outstretched arms. The figure strikes a precarious balance by adjusting the round balls or weights it holds. This set of lines and shapes, including the steps and yellow platform, can also be read as a face—the balls form eyes and the bent leg becomes a nose. Though painted, this linear composition embodies Klee's definition of drawing: "A line going for a walk."
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