The Firmament Above the Temple 1922

Paul Klee made this dreamy watercolor and ink drawing, titled "The Firmament Above the Temple," with its soft greens and browns. Imagine him, hunched over his table, carefully layering washes of color to build up this temple in the landscape. I can't help but think of the hours he must have spent experimenting, letting the watercolor bleed and blend, finding just the right balance between control and chance. Klee’s been called a ‘magic square’ painter, I love that, because he gets to combine the flat geometric with the ineffable. He’s very hard to copy. And that sky! So many horizontal layers in different shades, each one subtly shifting, and with these dark geometric shapes hovering above. It’s a perfect antidote to traditional landscape painting. For me, Klee is part of an ongoing conversation among artists across time. His work inspires us to embrace experimentation, to find magic in the simplest of forms, and to see the world with fresh eyes.