Der Held mit dem Flügel (The Hero with the Wing) from the series Inventions (Inventionen)

Der Held mit dem Flügel (The Hero with the Wing) from the series Inventions (Inventionen) is a significant early work by Paul Klee, created in 1905. Classified as a German print, this piece offers crucial insight into the formative period of one of the 20th century's most inventive artists, before his embrace of abstraction and color theory.

The work was executed in etching and drypoint, techniques that emphasize linear expression and deep tonal contrasts. The rigorous application of these graphic media underscores Klee’s technical precision during this transitional phase of his career. Created in 1905, the print belongs to the artist's first major body of graphic work, a series known collectively as Inventions or Inventionen. Unlike his later, brightly colored geometric compositions, the early prints focus on grotesque, symbolic, and often sardonic narratives rendered purely through line.

Der Held mit dem Flügel depicts a solitary, defined figure in the center interacting with an oversized wing. The heavy, dark lines achieved through the drypoint technique amplify the dramatic tension, suggesting themes of struggle, burden, or the weight of heroic ambition. The narrative complexity of the image reveals Klee’s early fascination with literary and psychological subjects, an interest he would maintain even as his style shifted toward the abstract.

This piece is essential for tracing the evolution of Klee's visual language, demonstrating his mastery of monochrome expression before his pivotal travels and subsequent development of color theories. This foundational work in the history of Modernism is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, where it contributes to the comprehensive documentation of European prints from the early 20th century.