Head of a Lion | Zentrum Paul Klee

From a traced drawing of a male head – possibly Klee’s father, Hans Wilhelm Klee – Paul Klee develops the head of an imposing lion.

The composition of the pencil drawing Lion’s Head (1912) is based on another drawing on the reverse side of the same sheet. There, a portrait of a man can be seen, which Klee traced from a model. Dissatisfied with the result, he turns the sheet over and traces the same model again. This time, however, he rotates the page several times, causing the lines of the original to shift.

While the proportions still follow the model, the execution is freer. In this way, Klee transforms the human figure into the striking head of a lion.

The bearded figure on what is now the reverse side recalls Klee’s father. A photograph from 1913 shows Hans Wilhelm Klee with a full white beard that strongly resembles the depicted figure.

From a traced drawing of a male head – possibly Klee’s father, Hans Wilhelm Klee – Paul Klee develops the head of an imposing lion.

While the proportions still follow the model, the execution is freer. In this way, Klee transforms the human figure into the striking head of a lion.

The bearded figure on what is now the reverse side recalls Klee’s father. A photograph from 1913 shows Hans Wilhelm Klee with a full white beard that strongly resembles the depicted figure.