Aged Phoenix 1905

Paul Klee made this etching, "Aged Phoenix", using traditional printmaking techniques on metal. The image suggests the mythical bird reborn, but bearing the marks of age and experience. Klee was working in Germany between the wars, a time of great social upheaval and political experimentation. The Weimar government promoted artistic innovation, and Klee taught at the Bauhaus, a school dedicated to integrating art, craft and technology. But as the political climate darkened, Klee was dismissed from his teaching post, and his work was labelled degenerate by the Nazi regime. With its attenuated limbs and mournful expression, the aged phoenix can be seen as a symbol of resilience in the face of adversity, perhaps reflecting the artist's own sense of displacement and the challenges faced by modern artists in a rapidly changing world. To understand this work better, we might look at the manifestos and teachings of the Bauhaus, as well as the historical context of art and politics in Weimar Germany.