Do you know how to pronounce Klee?  It seems like a simple little word, but almost all of us want to say it as it looks, with a long e.  Instead, it is pronounced like the word Clay, with a long a.  Whoda’ thunk!

Klee was raised by two musicians, and loved music himself.  It wasn’t until his late 20s that he started to work more intently as a painter, although we can see the influence all those years of diligence and order had on his artistic habits.  Klee was prolific and tireless, working in a rather small scale to constantly create something new.

Klee’s work is difficult to categorize.  He had an immense range with some pieces seeming to fit within expressionism, others cubism, and still others, surrealism.  Klee loved the simplcity of childrens’ drawings and at times tried to copy them.  It is this individual style that makes his artwork so fascinating.

It is difficult to describe Klee as anything but a true innovator.  He worked with almost every painting medium, and would sometimes even cut his work up just to re-assemble it in a different way.

Paul Klee taught art in Germany until 1933, when the rising Nazi party declared his work to be “degenerate” and he decided to leave the country.

de·gen·er·ate

Does his work seem corrupt to you?

Read about Paul Klee:

The Cat and the Bird, a story inspired by Klee’s images.  “A treasured painting by Paul Klee is the basis for this whimsical tale about a cat and a bird, and about the themes of freedom and friendship. A cat lives in a house filled with toys, but everyday she dreams of being free like the bird she watches through the windo. Finally with the bird’s help, she is able to escape and dance on the roofs of the city by moonlight. This lovely story unfolds in a series of playful, brilliantly colored illustrations based on the artist Paul Klee’s work. Influenced by the artist’s bright palette and use of shapes and line, the book culminates in a dazzling reproduction of Klee’s Cat and Bird. Accompanied by information about the artist and this iconic painting, the book invites appreciation of the unfettered joyfulness that makes Klee one of the most universally loved artists of all time.”

Paul Klee: My Art Activity Book
“Swiss artist Paul Klee (1879–1940) especially liked the style and characters he saw in children’s paintings. He once said he borrowed ideas for his own work from the way children used shapes, lines, and colors to conjure up a new world on a sheet of paper.
This fun and imaginative activity book borrows Klee’s ideas back, encouraging children to use their artistic instinct and get creative. Some of the drawings invite new characters, and others introduce Klee’s own—the tightrope walker! the ventriloquist! the angry leopard!—as well as inspiring other ideas like tracing and cutting out, playing with and expanding on Klee’s own paintings.
Sparking endless possibilities, this activity book is an ideal and immersive introduction to an accessible modern artist.”

Create your own version of

Klee’s “The Groom”

For this project you will need:

• Tru Ray Acid Free Construction Paper (assorted colors) – 12”x18” 1 per student
• Reeves Water Soluble Wax Pastels (sometimes called watercolor crayons) – set of 12 – need 1 set per student
• Grumbacher Filbert Brush synthetic, size 8- 1 per student
• Prang crayons, one 8 color set – need: 1 set per student – check to make sure you have black
• 1  glue stick – can be shared
• 1 extra small container with lid – need 1 per student

• Several paper towels
• everyday pencil with an eraser

Want to Create Even More?

Try making Klee inspired letter drawings using these instructions from Mrs.Picasso

or

take a picture of your artwork and upload it onto postage stamps – we gave ours to friends at a local nursing home.  

Enjoy your project!