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Paul Klee was a Swiss-born German artist with a highly individual style influenced by expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. He was a teacher at the Bauhaus school of art, design, and architecture in Germany, where he welcomed conflicting theories and opinions. Klee's progressive and experimental style was controversial in 1930s Germany, and in 1933, he was fired from his job at the Düsseldorf Academy after being singled out as a Galician Jew by a Nazi newspaper. Klee created the painting Struck from the List to commemorate this sad occasion, using a monochromatic colour scheme to depict his sadness at losing his job.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Artist | Paul Klee |
| Date | 1933 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Style | Expressionism |
| Genre | Symbolic painting |
| Subject | Self-portrait |
| Colours | Monochromatic |
| Mood | Sad |
| Historical context | Nazi Germany; Klee lost his teaching job at the Düsseldorf Academy after being singled out as a Jew by a Nazi newspaper |
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What You'll Learn
Paul Klee's political issues and sadness at losing his job
Paul Klee was a Swiss-born German artist known for his highly individual style, which was influenced by various artistic movements, including expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was also a teacher at the Bauhaus school of art, design, and architecture in Germany, where he taught alongside his colleague, Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky.
In the 1920s, Klee's artistic career flourished as he was acclaimed by French Surrealists and built creatively rewarding relationships with leading figures in the Bauhaus movement. However, the political climate in Germany during the 1930s posed significant challenges to his work and personal life. Klee's progressive and experimental style clashed with the ideologies of the Nazi regime, which considered his art as a threat due to its progressivism, international influences, and the left-wing opinions associated with it.
As a result of the oppressive political environment in Germany at the time, Klee's work was classified as "entartete Kunst" or "degenerate art" in 1933. This classification had a profound impact on his career and emotional state. Klee's self-portrait, "Struck from the List" (Von der Liste Gestrichen), created in 1933, captures the sadness and emotional turmoil he experienced after losing his job as a consequence of political oppression. The painting serves as a reflection of his bitter feelings and anger towards being dismissed from his position.
The use of colour in "Struck from the List" conveys Klee's mood and emotional state during this difficult period. Additionally, Klee chose to depict his face in the painting using blocks of colour, carefully combined to match the downbeat tone of the piece. Beyond his artistic expression, Klee also faced direct consequences from the Nazi regime. His home was searched by the Gestapo, and he was dismissed from his teaching position at the Düsseldorf Academy, where he had taught from 1931 to 1933.
In the face of political adversity and personal sadness, Klee channelled his emotions into his artwork. His paintings during this period, such as "Struck from the List," offer a glimpse into his political concerns and the emotional turmoil he experienced due to the oppressive political environment in Germany at that time. Klee's work continues to be admired worldwide, and his prediction that future generations would more fully appreciate his work has proven true.
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Klee's use of colour to represent mood
Paul Klee's painting "Struck from the List" came about in 1933 and represents an abstract depiction of the artist's political issues at the time. Klee's use of colour in this painting is used to represent his mood, while the image itself captures his sad, emotional face after losing his job as a result of oppression within Germany at that time.
Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented with and eventually deeply explored colour theory, writing extensively about it. He lectured on Form and Design Theory, which has been published in English as the Paul Klee Notebooks. These writings are considered as important for modern art as Leonardo da Vinci's "A Treatise on Painting" was for the Renaissance.
Klee's works reflect his personal moods and beliefs, and his use of colour in "Struck from the List" is a clear example of this. In the painting, Klee chose to form his face from blocks of colour, carefully combined to match the downbeat tone of the piece. The specific colours he used and their psychological associations can give us an insight into the emotions he wished to convey.
While the colours Klee used in "Struck from the List" are not described in sources, we can assume they were dark and sombre, reflecting the sadness and loss he felt at being fired from his job. Dark colours like black and grey are often used to evoke feelings of sadness and loss. Additionally, the way Klee combined these colours with other elements in the painting would have contributed to the overall mood it conveys.
In conclusion, Klee's use of colour to represent mood in "Struck from the List" reflects his personal emotions at the time, with the painting serving as a powerful example of how artists can utilise colour to convey their own feelings and influence the moods and emotions of viewers.
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Nazi regime's classification of Klee's work as 'degenerate art'
The Nazi regime's classification of art as degenerate was an attempt to exert cultural control over Germany and bring art under their dominion. The term "degenerate art" was coined in the 1920s or 1930s by the Nazi Party to describe modern art that did not align with Hitler's aesthetic vision and ideology. All modern art was considered degenerate, with Expressionism being particularly targeted. The Nazis deemed such art to be an "insult to German feeling", un-German, Jewish, Freemasonic, or Communist.
Paul Klee, a renowned artist, found himself at the heart of this conflict with the Nazis due to his artistic style and content. Klee's work was branded as degenerate art, leading to severe repercussions. Klee had 102 works seized by the Nazi party, and his art was included in the infamous "Degenerate Art Exhibition" in Munich in 1937. This exhibition, curated by Joseph Goebbels, showcased confiscated artworks alongside derogatory titles and labels mocking the art and artists. It aimed to induce a negative reaction towards modernism and included paintings by other notable artists such as Picasso, Dalí, Ernst, Léger, Miró, and Klee's contemporaries.
The "Degenerate Art Exhibition" attracted more than a million visitors, some of whom wanted to see modern art before it disappeared from Germany, while others endorsed Hitler's views. The exhibition was deliberately staged to encourage ridicule and negative perceptions of modern art. The Nazis' classification of Klee's work as degenerate art had significant consequences for the artist. Klee went into exile in Switzerland, where he faced challenges in obtaining citizenship due to his status as a degenerate artist.
The Nazi regime's classification of art as degenerate extended beyond exhibitions and had tangible impacts. Between 1937 and 1939, the Nazis removed approximately 15,550 to 21,000 artworks from German state collections and museums. Some of these confiscated works were sold at auctions or through private dealers, enriching the regime. However, many pieces were burned, including a large number of artworks by Picasso, Dalí, Ernst, Klee, Léger, and Miró, which were destroyed in a bonfire in Paris in 1942.
The Nazis' classification of Klee's work as degenerate art was part of a broader campaign to control and shape German culture. It resulted in the suppression of artistic freedom, the destruction of valuable artworks, and the exile of talented artists like Klee. The repercussions of these actions extended beyond the artistic realm, influencing societal norms and shaping cultural expression during the Nazi regime.
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Klee's self-portrait 'Struck from the List'
Paul Klee was a Swiss-born German artist known for his highly individual style, which was influenced by various artistic movements, including expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who deeply explored colour theory, experimenting with different techniques and writing extensively about his findings. He taught at the Bauhaus school of art, design, and architecture in Germany alongside his colleague, Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky.
In 1933, Klee's life took a tragic turn when he was singled out by a Nazi newspaper as a Galician Jew. His home was searched by the Gestapo, and he lost his teaching position at the Düsseldorf Academy. Klee's self-portrait "Struck from the List" (German: "Von der Liste Gestrichen") was created in response to these events. The painting, completed in the same year, serves as a bitter and angry commemoration of his dismissal and the oppression he faced in Nazi Germany.
The title "Struck from the List" refers to Klee being fired from his job, and the work reflects his emotional state at the time. Klee's use of colour in the painting represents his mood, with blocks of colour carefully combined to capture the downbeat tone of the piece. The image depicts his sad, emotional face, with tears running down his cheeks, expressing his feelings of sadness and frustration.
The year 1933 marked a significant turning point in Klee's life and career. Despite being at the peak of his creative output, he was forced to emigrate to Switzerland with his family to escape Nazi persecution. During this time, Klee's work was classified as "entartete Kunst" or "degenerate art" by the Nazi regime, which perceived a threat in its progressivism and the left-wing opinions associated with it. Klee's self-portrait stands as a powerful testament to his personal and artistic struggles during this tumultuous period in history.
Klee's belief in the enduring value of his art proved prescient, as his work is now admired worldwide, far beyond his native Germany. His expressive powers, humour, and unique perspective are recognised and celebrated by art enthusiasts and experts alike. Today, Klee's contributions to modern art are considered as significant as those of Leonardo da Vinci during the Renaissance.
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Klee's work being seized by the Nazis
Paul Klee was a Swiss-born German artist known for his highly individual style, which was influenced by movements in art, including expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. He was also a student of orientalism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented with and eventually mastered colour theory, writing about it extensively. He taught at the Bauhaus school of art, design, and architecture in Germany from 1921 to 1931.
Klee's work was seized by the Nazis when they shut down the Bauhaus school in 1931. Klee moved to Düsseldorf to teach at the Düsseldorf Academy, but his work was again targeted by the Nazis. In 1933, Klee's home was searched by the Gestapo, and he was fired from his job. The Nazis deemed his art "degenerate," and monographs about Klee were banned and burned. Seventeen of Klee's paintings were later displayed at the Nazi "Degenerate Art" exhibition in Munich in 1937.
In addition to the works seized from museums, several of Klee's artworks were looted by the Nazis from Jewish collectors and their families. One notable example is "Swamp Legend," which was looted from the Jewish art historian Sophie Lissitzky-Küppers and her family. The city of Munich resisted returning the painting to the family for decades, but a settlement was finally reached in 2017, with the city agreeing to reimburse the family for the seizure of the masterpiece.
Klee's self-portrait, "Struck from the List" (1933), reflects his feelings of sadness and anger at being targeted by the Nazis and losing his job. The painting is an abstract depiction of Klee's political issues and features a depiction of his emotional face formed from blocks of colour that capture the downbeat tone of the piece.
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Frequently asked questions
Paul Klee's painting 'Struck from the List' was created in 1933.
Klee created 'Struck from the List' to commemorate the occasion when he lost his job as a teacher at the Düsseldorf Academy after being singled out as a Galician Jew by a Nazi newspaper. The painting reflects his sadness at being "struck from the list", with a monochromatic colour scheme and an image that resembles a sad face with tears running down the cheeks.
Paul Klee's artistic style was highly individual and influenced by various movements, including expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. He was a natural draftsman who deeply explored colour theory and experimented with different techniques, such as scratching on blackened glass panels with a needle.
