Paul Klee

This work from 1912 demonstrates especially clearly that Paul Klee is actively exploring trends in painting that are current in the second decade of the 20th century. This watercolour with pen and pencil seems to suck the viewer in, the spiralling forms drawing the eye into the centre of the picture. Just to the left of the centre, Klee places the source of rays of light radiating out to the margins. A kind of road composed of geometric colours spirals around the source, undulating irregularly. Along the edges of the road, houses of a town are hinted at by their windows.. The light radiates out from a street lamp, giving the piece its title: "Street Lamp in the Town".

This painting is an attempt by Klee to work with cubist and futuristic ideas; the highly dynamic impression produced by the spiralling colours points to Italian futurism, while the distorted rectangles hint at cubism. In 1912, Klee travels to Paris to look at work by the cubists, visiting Robert Delauney, whose dynamic use of colour inspire him particularly. Klee also views cubist and futurists works in galleries in Munich and Zurich.

Modern tendencies in the visual arts cause fierce debates in Bern, and criticism is voiced even in parliament of the progressive outlook of the Swiss national art commission. One parliamentarian comments:

"In Switzerland there is widespread indignation. Common sense is outraged at the excrescences of art. Green horses, blue cows and so forth. Futurisms, cubism, this is the latest iteration of art taken to the absurd!"