Portrait (Porträt) (plate, page 143) from the periodical Münchner Blätter für Dichtung und Graphik, vol. 1, no. 9 (September 1919)

The work Portrait (Porträt) (plate, page 143) from the periodical Münchner Blätter für Dichtung und Graphik, vol. 1, no. 9 (September 1919) by Paul Klee is a significant example of the artist’s graphic production immediately following World War I. Created in 1919, this specific image is a lithograph, one of five original prints included in the September issue of the influential Münchner Blätter für Dichtung und Graphik, a prominent German literary and graphic arts journal published in Munich.

Klee utilized the direct, sensitive qualities of the lithograph medium to render a simplified, abstracted facial composition. Typical of his early post-war output, the work eschews realistic detail in favor of delicate, nervous lines and subtle tonal variations that emphasize psychological interiority. This approach reflects the wider shift in the German art scene towards Expressionism and the exploration of subjective states, a trend particularly amplified by the emotional turmoil following the end of the conflict. Klee was actively developing his unique symbolic language during this period, and graphic works like this one allowed him to communicate complex ideas to a broader intellectual audience through periodical dissemination.

The appearance of this piece in the Münchner Blätter confirms Klee’s established position within the European avant-garde of the time. The periodical itself served as a vital, if short-lived, platform for poets and artists engaging in modernist dialogue. This lithograph is part of the distinguished holdings of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), where it is preserved not only as a fine art print but also as a critical document of postwar cultural exchange. While the original physical edition resides in the museum’s archives, the broad circulation of the 1919 periodical means that many similar images and copies are frequently available in the public domain today, facilitating continued scholarly research and appreciation.