Around the Fish

Around the Fish is a significant painting created by Paul Klee in 1926. This period saw Klee working as a master at the Bauhaus in Germany, where he continuously explored the boundaries between abstraction and representation, linking them through a vocabulary of subtle symbols. The painting is executed in a mixed technique of oil and tempera applied directly to canvas, which was then mounted onto a stable cardboard support. This combination of media allowed Klee to achieve a distinct surface quality, characterized by luminous colors and a rich texture often associated with his complex layering processes during the mid-1920s.

The composition centers on a dark, angular fish form suspended against a dynamic field of layered, ethereal colors. Klee surrounds this central subject with various geometric and hieroglyphic symbols, creating a sense of buoyant mystery and organized chaos. These surrounding elements, which include subtle grids, crescent shapes, and floating markers, interact rhythmically with the central fish, justifying the work’s title. This piece exemplifies the aesthetic concerns of the German artistic environment of the time, synthesizing influences from Surrealism and Expressionism into a unique, highly personal visual language. Klee’s pervasive fascination with internal rhythm and subconscious imagery is palpable in the delicate balance between the defined symbolic elements and the atmospheric background.

Completed in 1926, this painting holds a key place in Klee’s mature oeuvre, illustrating his mastery of controlled chaos and his movement toward increasingly sophisticated symbolic structures. As a critical example of modern German art from the interwar period, the canvas is highly referenced in art historical studies regarding the Bauhaus curriculum and the development of abstract art. The work is today housed in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. While the original remains in the museum’s care, the enduring appeal of Klee’s symbolic artistry means that high-quality prints and educational reproductions are often sought after, though this specific piece is not yet widely available in the public domain.