Ancient Sound. Abstract on Black Background 1925

This is 'Ancient Sound' by Paul Klee, and like many of his works, it was made using oil paint on canvas. Looking closely, you can see that the entire composition is structured from many small squares, each a slightly different shade. The earthy tones of brown, green and yellow are subtly modulated. Klee's touch with the brush is light, giving each square a slightly textured surface. It's as if the artist wanted to emphasize the basic materiality of the paint itself. The grid-like structure gives the impression of something constructed, almost like a mosaic or a textile pattern. Though Klee was a painter, his sensibilities were very closely allied to the world of craft and design. He was after all, a teacher at the Bauhaus, an experimental art school that embraced all creative practices equally. In a work like this, Klee prompts us to blur the boundaries between 'fine art' and other forms of making.