Klee

by Norbert Lynton

About the life of Paul Klee and his paintings. The author writes in much greater detail about the years up to and including the first world war. Pictures of his paintings and notes will complement his (Klee's) work. Several of Klee's quotations are included.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1964

Reviews

[Matt Lennert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 1967 book is a great addition to Will Grohmann’s 1954 seminal book on the life and work of Klee. Both offer insight into the challenges of interpretating Klee’s work, with Lynton’s book being a bit less “fan boy” than Grohmann’s. I was always drawn to graphic nature of Klee’s work, especially his magic squares, but I have a much clearer understanding of Klee’s paintings and drawings within the context of his time and country and the place he takes between German expressionism, cubism, surrealism, and abstract expressionism.

[Shinji007 · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I did find the commentary interesting, there are errors on what should be of primary importance, the actual materials used in the process of the paintings. Photo reproduction colors are quite muted and do little justice to the works presented. The pieces might have come across as richer and vibrant if they had been printed on glossy stock paper instead. I would say the book is quite easy to find online for cheap, so check it out. Otherwise, I am quite sure there are better books covering Klee's paintings out there.