Libido of the Forest 1917

Paul Klee made this enigmatic work, "Libido of the Forest," using watercolor and ink on paper. These are, of course, traditional materials. But Klee was anything but a traditional artist. Note how he has built up the image through countless little strokes of the pen and brush. It's almost a system, like the controlled hatching you see in technical drawing, or the divisionist paintings of Seurat. However, rather than precision, Klee is after an impression of teeming, generative life. The "libido" of the title suggests erotic energy, nature's urge towards proliferation. Klee is clearly interested in craft; his mark making is painstaking, repetitive. But it's a means to an end. It's less about technique than it is about the underlying life force he wants to portray. So next time you're in a forest, consider the processes of growth and decay that are playing out all around you. Klee has captured that energy here, and in doing so, prompts us to consider the vitality of nature, the amount of work involved, and the skilled traditions that exist.