Garden of Passion 1913

Paul Klee made this Garden of Passion using etching, a technique where acid is used to cut into a metal plate to create a design. The whole thing feels like a garden that’s not quite in focus, like a memory struggling to come clear. I imagine Klee hunched over his plate, guided by intuition, letting the acid bite and bubble, never quite sure where it will lead. He’s got these really scratchy lines, all vibrating against each other. It's as though he’s trying to trap something wild, something alive on the surface. I get the sense Klee is always in conversation with the history of mark-making, while also finding his own voice. He reminds me a little of Picasso, in the sense that they are both artists who were in an ongoing conversation, pushing against what painting could be. I feel a certain freedom in this print, an embrace of ambiguity, and an invitation for us to wander through the thicket of lines and find our own path.