Leiche (Corpse)

Leiche (Corpse) by Paul Klee is an evocative drawing executed in 1913, rendered in pen and black ink on laid paper. This crucial work belongs to the early creative period of the Swiss artist, falling within the years designated as 1901 to 1925, during which Klee began his definitive transition from figurative illustration toward the abstract geometric forms and symbolic language for which he would become internationally recognized.

The choice of medium, utilizing pen and black ink, emphasizes draftsmanship and immediacy. Klee employed meticulous, yet sometimes fragmented, lines to construct the disturbing subject implied by the German title, Leiche. This focus on mortality and the grotesque reflects the psychological and Expressionist anxieties prevalent across European art movements immediately preceding World War I. While highly abstracting his figures, Klee maintains a connection to concrete subject matter, exploring how line density and contour can evoke psychological states, even in monochromatic studies.

During this influential period, Klee engaged deeply with theories of form, color, and Cubist composition, ideas which he distilled and applied to his own unique graphic style. The work demonstrates an early mastery of economy of line, essential to his development as a painter and theoretician. Although identified as belonging to Swiss culture, Klee’s artistic reach was continental, making him a central figure in European Modernism.

This significant drawing resides in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, serving as a vital example of Klee’s output during his foundational years. As interest in these early 20th-century masters persists, institutions often facilitate access to high-quality images and prints of key works like Leiche (Corpse), ensuring that these defining pieces of Modernism are available for study and appreciation, sometimes entering the public domain for wider academic use.