The Harbinger of Autumn [green and violet gradation with orange accent] 1922

Paul Klee made this watercolor, titled "The Harbinger of Autumn," probably in a studio somewhere, sometime. The violet and green hues make me think of cool evenings, just like the cusp of seasons when things are starting to turn, and the land is exhaling. I wonder what Klee was thinking when he laid down those initial washes. What does "harbinger" even mean? It's such a strange word, right? It's like a little messenger. The tree seems to be the bearer of a new season. It makes me think about Agnes Martin’s grids, or maybe the work of Forrest Bess, how these artists are all trying to get at something just beyond the visible world. All of them are kindred spirits, working away, making these little objects that point to something bigger than themselves.