"Part of G”, a painting with a mysterious meaning by Paul Klee

Born in Münchenbuchsee (Switzerland) on 18 December 1879 to a German father and Swiss mother, Paul Klee was an important figure in 20th century art.

During his education Paul was also dealt with music and poetry, but painting was his dominant passion. A leading exponent of abstractionism, Paul Klee believed that art was a discourse on reality and not merely a reproduction of it. Consequently, in his works, reality is essential, rarefied, often reduced to simple lines and patches of colour.

His continuous research can also be seen in the supports he chose, ranging from classic canvas to jute, newsprint, cardboard, etc.

After studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, the artist met Franz Mark, August Macke and Wassily Kandinsky, painters with whom he founded the Blue Rider group.

The mystery of the painting “Part of G”

Painted in watercolour and oil on paper, the painting "Part of G" is the result of a journey made by the artist. On two thirds of the work, we can observe a brown, muddy shade, while on a third there is a dark blue.

The mystery surrounding the painting is due to the fact that the meaning of the title is not clear, it is not known precisely why the painter named this painting “Part of G”. The hypotheses put forward by various scholars are different, some say that the G is a place, others that it is a musical key and finally that it is the letter G. Indeed, the shape of the letter G seems to be present in the elements of the city painted by Klee.

In the work we can observe a distorted perspective, deformed and particularly sloping buildings, streets made up of dead-end ramps and flags that do not follow one direction, but move differently from one another.

Known for his constant search for new colours and harmonies, always ready to change his style, and a lover of lines, space and planes of colour, Paul Klee remains one of the most emblematic artists, and “Part of G” is undoubtedly one of the works that best represents him.

Other well-known works by Paul Klee

During his career, Paul Klee produced numerous paintings, in different styles and inspired by both his many travels and the various historical events of the time.

"Red Balloon” is undoubtedly one of this painter's best-known works. Created in 1922, the painting is currently housed in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.

"Polyphony” is another famous painting by the German artist, on display at the Basel Art Museum.

“Villa R”, on the other hand, is a painting dated 1919 (oil on cardboard, 26 x 22 cm) in which one can see fantastic silhouettes and a villa built with various geometric shapes, very similar to those used by children.

Finally, we would like to mention “Highway and byways”,a work dated 1929 in which we can observe crossed lines that are intended to simulate the city plan.

Article par: Aurora Caraman