Reading on the Bed (Lektüre auf dem Bett)

Reading on the Bed (Lektüre auf dem Bett) is a key graphic work created by Paul Klee in 1910. Executed as an etching, this print demonstrates Klee’s foundational mastery of linear technique and graphic precision during his early career, preceding his radical explorations into abstract color theory and geometric forms. The subject matter captures an intimate, domestic scene: a figure lying horizontally in bed, fully engrossed in the act of reading.

This work exemplifies the introspective, sometimes satirical, studies that Klee pursued while establishing his voice within the German art scene. Through the etching medium, Klee employs sharp, deliberate lines to define the curvature of the figure, the rumpled bedding, and the surrounding environment, creating a chiaroscuro effect typical of early 20th-century printmaking. The starkness of the black and white medium emphasizes the figure’s absorbed posture and the psychological isolation inherent in the concentration of the reader. Created in 1910, the piece stands as a record of the transitional period in art where European artists were moving away from academic realism toward individual, often expressionistic, observations of daily life.

Although famed later in his life for his oil paintings and watercolors, Klee produced a significant body of graphic work, including etchings and lithographs, which remain vital records of his artistic development and experimentation. His print production allowed him to explore line, composition, and narrative storytelling in a way that profoundly influenced his subsequent approach to color and abstraction. This specific impression of the work is housed in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), ensuring its permanent study and accessibility. As a characteristic example of Klee’s early graphic sensibility and German printmaking from this era, Reading on the Bed (Lektüre auf dem Bett) continues to be referenced in exhibitions tracing the origins of modern art.