The painter Paul Klee (1879--1940) was born near Berne in Switzerland. His early works were monochromatic, in black and white. His contact with Expressionist artists such as Kandinsky, and a visit to Tunis, led him into color. He believed improvisation was an important part of painting, with the artist subconsciously guiding a work as it evolved, rather than consciously controlling it. His paintings are characterized by line and color, with an element of humor and fantasy.
Quote:"The work of art ... is above all a process of creation, it is never experienced as mere product. A certain fire, an impulse to create, is kindled, is transmitted through the hand, leaps to the canvas, and in the form of a spark leaps back to its starting place, completing the circle -- back to the eye and further (back to the source of the movement, the will, the idea)." -- Paul Klee, Creative Credo, 1920
