Ventriloquist and Crier in the Moor 1923

Paul Klee made this funny, slightly unsettling watercolour, Ventriloquist and Crier in the Moor, with pen and ink. Look at the way Klee lays down these translucent layers, one over the other, in a patchwork grid that dissolves the figure into its surroundings. It reminds me of the way kids play, losing themselves in a world of their own making. Klee’s not trying to trick you into seeing something that isn’t there. The colors are subdued, almost ghostly. See how the pinks and mauves of the figure bleed into the darker earth tones? It’s all very subtle. The figure’s swollen form, like a strange tumor, sprouts arms that gesticulate with the excitement of a preacher, a politician, or a con-man. The puppet at his feet is a brilliant touch. Is he the ventriloquist's other half? There is something of the playful innocence of Miro in the work, but Klee is doing something all of his own here. His work is full of a quiet, subversive energy, leaving you wondering what's real and what's just a trick of the light.