Paul Klee
Cunctator, 1938
Coloured paste on paper on cardboard, 53,5 x 35 cm
Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern
Paul Klee mastered the art of conveying complex ideas through the simplest pictorial means. He could describe a figure with just a few lines, all while capturing different moods, character traits, or even psychological states. In “Cuncator,” Klee chose a spiral to form the head and body of a figure. “Cuncator” means “procrastinator,” and likely comes from a Roman general who wore down the enemy by stalling. Here, procrastination is seen as a positive approach. Klee used line to show procrastination as a form of spiralling movement.
“Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible.”
Paul Klee, 1920