Castle Garden 1919

Paul Klee made this little dreamscape of colored shapes, probably with watercolor or gouache. It's all about how colors bump up against each other and how simple forms can suggest a whole world. I love the way Klee uses color here—it's not about realism, but about feeling. Look at how he layers different hues to create depth and texture. The little shapes almost seem to float. See the way he balances warm and cool tones? This makes the whole composition sing. It's playful, like a game of color Tetris. There is a cluster of overlapping leaf shapes at the centre that suggests a tiny garden. These greens and purples seem to act as a bridge between the darker blues at the top and the lighter pinks at the bottom, but it's more like a wonky bridge, cobbled together with scraps. Klee reminds me a bit of Miró in that he builds fantastical worlds, but he's also a master of economy, doing so much with very little. It’s a testament to the fact that art is as much about the idea as it is about the execution.