God of War

God of War is a poignant mixed-media work created by Paul Klee in 1937. Executed in gouache and tempera, this powerful drawing embodies the intellectual rigor and emotionally charged atmosphere characteristic of Klee's late career. The combination of opaque gouache and the lasting quality of tempera allowed Klee to achieve a distinct surface texture, emphasizing the graphic and symbolic nature of the abstracted forms.

The year 1937 was highly significant for modern art in Germany. Following the official Nazi condemnation of modernism as "degenerate art," Klee, who had been exiled to Switzerland three years prior, created works that often subtly addressed themes of conflict, fear, and political upheaval. The title of the piece immediately evokes archetypes of militarism and aggression, subjects highly relevant to the escalating political tensions in Europe. However, Klee renders this subject not through traditional figuration, but through an assembly of simplified, symbolic structures and lines that suggest movement and chaotic energy.

Klee utilized his signature reductionist style, employing a sparse vocabulary of color and shape to communicate profound psychological themes. The work demonstrates the artist's mature technique, where composition relies on precise linear elements integrated with fields of color. Though classified as a drawing, the complexity of the medium and the depth of its subject matter elevate this piece beyond a simple sketch. Many of Klee’s abstractions from this critical period, including this one, have become canonical examples of 20th-century art, inspiring numerous prints and studies. God of War is a central document of German modernism and remains an important holding within the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.