Fish Magic 1925

Editor: This is Paul Klee's *Fish Magic* from 1925. It’s a mixed-media piece with gouache. There’s such a fascinating combination of organic and geometric forms here, creating almost a dreamlike underwater scene. What do you see in this piece beyond the subject matter? Curator: I'm drawn to the construction of the picture plane itself. Consider how Klee layers translucent glazes to create depth, while simultaneously asserting the flatness of the surface with the stark linearity of the drawn figures. Notice how color functions here, too. The darker ground throws forward those brighter geometric insertions. Do you observe any tension in the application of line? Editor: Yes, I do! Now that you mention it, there's a distinct contrast between the very delicate, almost ethereal lines of the fish and the bolder, more assertive lines that define the geometric shapes. What does that opposition create in your opinion? Curator: Precisely. It creates a visual dialogue between representation and abstraction. Klee doesn't present us with a mimetic depiction of reality; instead, he constructs a pictorial space governed by its own internal logic and visual relationships. Observe how the circular forms, repeated in the sun, moon, clock face, and even the bodies of the fish, serve as a unifying element, tying together disparate parts of the composition. Is the darker ground merely setting off those objects? Editor: Perhaps it is the mysterious unconscious? The artist is evoking things that exist but we cannot grasp? I really see how much there is in this beyond subject matter! Curator: Precisely. *Fish Magic* is more than just a painting of fish; it’s an investigation into the very language of painting. A language of space and time and line and the relationship between forms! Editor: That’s such a helpful perspective. I definitely appreciate how a focus on these elements creates such rich new layers of analysis.