Heroic Fiddling 1938

Paul Klee made Heroic Fiddling with paint, and probably a brush, but who knows, sometime in the first half of the 20th century. The blues he uses feel open and inviting, almost like the sky on a summer’s day, but they are laid down with a scratchy touch so that the surface doesn’t quite sit still. The dark marks jump out against it and give the piece a real graphic jolt! You get the sense he’s building up layers, adding new elements, maybe taking some away. Look at the way the blue seeps through and around the black, it's almost like the black lines are floating, suspended in this dreamy world. To me, that quality gives the piece an unfinished, exploratory feel, like he's searching for something, trying out different ideas, allowing the painting to come to life through the process of making it. It reminds me of Joan Miró, someone else who knew how to balance playfulness and seriousness in their work. In the end, art is all about keeping the conversation going, embracing those questions that don't have easy answers.