Potted Plants I (Blumenstöcke I)

Potted Plants I (Blumenstöcke I) by Paul Klee is a seminal work created in 1920, executed using a combination of lithograph and delicate watercolor additions. This print exemplifies the artist's highly personal style emerging in the immediate post-WWI era. The subject matter, a seemingly simple grouping of domestic plants, becomes a vehicle for Klee's exploration of color theory and abstracted form. As a key example of German graphic art from the period, the work demonstrates Klee's transition from early satirical etchings toward the lyrical, geometric abstraction that would define his mature career.

The classification as a print belies the complexity of the technique. Klee utilized the lithographic process to establish the structural foundation-the distinct lines and segments defining the pots and foliage-before applying layers of translucent watercolor by hand. This integration of mechanical reproduction and unique painterly touch results in an ephemeral quality characteristic of many Klee works from the 1920s. He constructs the image using elemental shapes and controlled, yet vibrant, chromatic fields. The composition balances order and spontaneity, transforming the static subject into a dynamic interplay of vertical stems and horizontal planes, a hallmark of Klee’s pedagogical approach developed during his time teaching at the Bauhaus.

Created just as Klee was gaining international recognition, this piece fits within the critical period of 1920, marking his involvement with the progressive art movements reshaping Central Europe. Klee often revisited themes of nature and growth, translating these observations through an abstract lens informed by Expressionism and Cubism. This particular lithograph, along with other similar experimental prints, remains a fundamental representation of his output. Potted Plants I (Blumenstöcke I) is held in the renowned collection of the Museum of Modern Art, serving as an important reference point for studying the development of modern German prints.