Abstract Colour Harmony in Squares with Vermillion Accents 1924

This little party of color, Abstract Colour Harmony in Squares with Vermillion Accents, was made by Paul Klee and you can see it now in Berlin. It’s a quiet but complex painting, and I think it’s all about process. I love the way Klee lays down these small, distinct squares, almost like individual brushstrokes. Each one is its own little world of color and texture. Look how some of the colors are dragged across the surface. The dark shades are offset with brilliant reds and yellows. You can almost feel him thinking about how each color relates to the next, how they build up to a unified whole. That one vermillion square, slightly off-center, is a key. It's like a small spark that ignites the whole painting, and makes me think of Josef Albers. But where Albers is controlled, Klee feels so playful and intuitive. It’s like he’s inviting us to get lost in the act of looking. And isn't that what art is all about?