Houses Drawn by Oxen, Ox Speared by a Lantern, Overpass (Häuser von Ochsen gezogen, Ochse laternengespiesst, Strassenüberführung)

Houses Drawn by Oxen, Ox Speared by a Lantern, Overpass (Häuser von Ochsen gezogen, Ochse laternengespiesst, Strassenüberführung) is a pivotal drawing created by Paul Klee in 1916. Executed in ink on paper mounted on board, this enigmatic work dates from a period of intense formal experimentation following Klee’s influential 1914 trip to Tunisia and his subsequent entry into military service. The German artist constructs a vision that combines disparate, almost surreal, elements: domestic structures appear pulled by animals, a stark ox is violently speared by a lantern, and a geometrically structured overpass or viaduct frames the background. The complexity of these overlaid narratives characterizes Klee's early modernist approach to the subjective representation of reality. The piece resides today within the renowned permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Klee employs a delicate but assured network of black lines to establish the composition, suggesting both architectural precision and narrative ambiguity. Though sometimes associated with Expressionism, Klee’s approach here leans toward highly personalized symbolic geometry, transforming everyday elements into abstract signs. The choice of ink on paper highlights the artist’s graphic mastery, a foundation he would build upon as he moved toward complex color theories later in his career at the Bauhaus. The inherent tension between the stability of the houses and the kinetic, yet constrained, energy of the oxen foreshadows the dynamic compositions that defined Klee’s output throughout the 1920s.

Created early during the First World War, the year 1916 marked a challenging but artistically productive time for Klee, who was drafted but often placed in clerical or support roles, allowing him continued artistic activity. This shift away from naturalistic landscapes toward personal, mythic narratives reflected the upheaval and absurdity of the era. The work is classified precisely as a key Drawing in his repertoire, demonstrating the foundational importance of graphic line work in Klee's oeuvre. Its current status in the MoMA collection ensures this significant German modernist work remains accessible for study, and high-quality prints and reproductions of this public domain artwork are frequently made available.