Paul Klee

Heroic Strokes of the Bow (Heroische Bogenstriche)

1938

Pigmented paste on newspaper on dyed cloth on board in artist's frame

Not on view

The title of this late work suggests that the black zigzags refer to the rhythmic strokes of a violin bow. Evoking a tablet of hieroglyphs, these thick, seemingly unrehearsed lines traverse the ground, bounding dashes, circles, and indecipherable symbols. While barely legible beneath a layer of colored paste, comparatively delicate newspaper type runs vertically, rooting the work in its contemporary moment. Following the rise of the Nazi regime in Germany, from 1933 until his death Klee lived in exile in Switzerland. These last years of his life were marked by intense productivity and assertive directness.

Gallery label from

2006.

Medium Pigmented paste on newspaper on dyed cloth on board in artist's frame
Dimensions 28 3/4 x 20 7/8" (73 x 53 cm)
Credit Nelson A. Rockefeller Bequest
Object number 958.1979
Department Drawings and Prints

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