Old City Architecture (Alte Stadt-Architektur)

Old City Architecture (Alte Stadt-Architektur) by Paul Klee is a seminal drawing created in 1924. This highly technical work is executed using watercolor and ink with incising on prepared paper, which was subsequently mounted onto board and bordered with careful ink and watercolor lines. The complexity of the medium underscores Klee’s meticulous methodology during his influential teaching tenure at the Bauhaus school.

Classified as a drawing, this piece epitomizes Klee’s systematic approach to geometric abstraction, blending observable structure with subjective interpretation. The composition is built upon a dense network of horizontal and vertical lines, suggesting the overlapping planes and compressed viewpoints found in historic German urban centers. Klee’s signature technique of incising-scratching lines directly into the prepared surface-lends a unique texture and subtle dimensionality to the architectural forms, differentiating the drawn line from the painted wash.

The palette is characteristic of Klee's mid-1920s output: muted earth tones like ochre, dusty rose, and slate blue provide a quiet framework, punctuated by small, vibrant squares of color. This careful application of pigment transforms the subject matter from a literal depiction into a rhythmic organization of spatial relationships.

Created during a crucial period of experimentation for the artist, 1924 saw Klee moving toward a more structured, analytical style. The finished piece stands as a sophisticated example of German modernism and remains an important record of Klee’s commitment to structure and color theory. This masterful work resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Given its historical significance, reproductions and high-quality prints of Old City Architecture are often sought by collectors, though the watercolor medium makes the original quite fragile.