Paul Klee and Friends: A Lucky Encounter in Shizuoka
I randomly found out there was a Paul Klee exhibit happening in Shizuoka—and I’m such a fan I even own an art book! Total lucky timing.
The other day, I had the chance to visit Shizuoka City, and while I was there, I went to the Paul Klee exhibit being held at the Shizuoka City Museum of Art. I’m such a big fan—I even own an art book of his—so I felt super lucky to discover that the exhibit was happening while I was in town!
This exhibition took a really interesting angle. While Klee was often portrayed by galleries as a solitary, meditative artist, this show explored how he actually worked through the hardships of two world wars alongside fellow artists—encouraging and pushing each other through difficult times. It was curated alongside works by those fellow artists, which made it feel fresh and unique.
This is one of his early works.
He painted random splashes of color, then noticed what looked like a girl sitting inside them—so he used outlines and shading to bring her out. Apparently this came from a childhood game where he’d find shapes in a marble tabletop!
The pieces by Kandinsky, who was close with Klee. He’s famous for abstract work, but I was surprised to see he painted people like this too!
Klee is often called a color genius, but there were also periods when he focused on black-and-white line drawings like this.
Now this is classic Paul Klee—the color wizard at his best! But thinking about the journey it took to get here makes it feel even more meaningful.
His later works feel totally different—such a shift in mood and style.
