Giant Aphid (Riesenblattlaus) for the illustrated book Deutsche Graphiker der Gegenwart

Giant Aphid (Riesenblattlaus) for the illustrated book Deutsche Graphiker der Gegenwart is a stark lithograph created by Paul Klee in 1920. This print was designed specifically as an illustration for a volume dedicated to contemporary German graphic artists. The medium of the lithograph allowed Klee to achieve a high degree of precision while maintaining the expressive, linear quality typical of his graphic work during the immediate post-war years.

Executed in the year Klee began his influential tenure at the Bauhaus school, the work reflects his rapid transition toward systematic and analytical abstraction. The subject matter, an oversized insect, is rendered through Klee’s distinctive combination of geometric forms and whimsical observation. During this early 1920 period, the German artist frequently explored the microscopic world and natural history, viewing them through a lens of intellectual humor. This approach was characteristic of his engagement with the shifting cultural scene of the Weimar Republic.

The structure of the Giant Aphid (Riesenblattlaus) is simultaneously delicate and imposing, defined by strong, expressive outlines that delineate segmented body parts, contrasting sharply against the white ground of the paper. This technique underscores the scientific yet deeply personal approach Klee brought to his prints. The composition demonstrates the artist’s burgeoning interest in using drawing as a means of mapping both the physical and metaphysical worlds, a theory he would expand upon significantly throughout his career.

While Klee is perhaps better known for his color-driven oil paintings, his extensive output of graphic works, such as this piece, reveals his mastery across multiple mediums. The linear quality and sharp contrast define the structure of the image, distinguishing it as an important example from his formative years. This significant lithograph is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York.