Singer of the Comic Opera 1923

Paul Klee made "Singer of the Comic Opera" with a drawing over watercolor, and what strikes me first is this delicate, almost fragile touch, like he’s building an image out of whispers. The color is so subtle. It’s barely there, just a hint of rose that makes the stark black lines pop even more. Look how the lines are so playful, almost cartoonish, and yet there’s this depth, this feeling that she’s not just a singer, but a character. I love how the curls of her hair echo the swirls on her chest, like the whole figure is singing the same song, all the parts are harmonizing. It’s like Klee is showing us how everything is connected, how the small details can tell a bigger story. I see echoes of Picasso's line drawings. Both artists used line to capture the essence of their subjects. But Klee brings a kind of dreaminess, an openness to interpretation, that's all his own.