Digital Guide

Paul Klee

Untitled (Rose with five buds)

Aquarell und Bleistift auf Papier , 13,6 x 10,7 cm

Privatbesitz Schweiz, Depositum im Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern

52765

Wild roses

Here we have planted wild shrubs and wild roses. They are all native plants, which means plants that also grow wild elsewhere in this region. As a result, they become part of the ecosystem with all the other indigenous plants and living beings here. The wild roses may not be as beautiful as the cultivated ones that have such large, colourful flowers. Although beauty is often eye-catching, it can also be found in the inconspicuous.

About the Work

Paul Klee painted this watercolour when he was 13 years old. Still young, he copied pictures from calendars or recorded what he saw on his walks or hikes in sketchbooks. He tried to depict his subjects as accurately as possible and painted every detail. Ten years later, Klee would recognize that replicating his surroundings no longer made sense for him. He began to search for a newer, more contemporary pictorial language.

Learn More: Microcosm – Macrocosm

Paul Klee enjoyed observing the smallest structures as much as he did the cosmos. The microcosm is the “small” world – everything that we can only see under a microscope. It is part of the macrocosm, the “big” or the “whole” world. In many philosophical teachings, the microcosm is seen as a reflection of the macrocosm. The “big” world repeats itself on a small scale.