Reflecting Window (Spiegelndes Fenster)

Reflecting Window (Spiegelndes Fenster) by Paul Klee is a compelling etching created in 1915, capturing the anxieties and experimental spirit prevalent in the German artistic environment during the early years of the First World War. Classified strictly as a print, this work showcases Klee’s early engagement with abstraction and line, a period immediately following his formative trip to Tunisia and prior to his full immersion in complex color theory. Although the title suggests a recognizable subject—a reflected view through a window—the execution transforms the conventional view into a fractured, angular composition typical of early modernism.

The choice of etching as a medium allowed Klee to focus intensely on graphic elements and precision. Unlike his later explorations in watercolor and oil, this 1915 piece relies on the sharp, precise contrast and deliberate texture inherent to the intaglio process. Klee utilizes the fine lines of the etching needle to construct overlapping, almost crystalline geometric planes that appear to reflect or refract light, blurring the traditional boundary between interior space and external observation. The resulting print is a stark, linear investigation into perspective and dimension, anticipating the formal structural inquiries seen in his subsequent, more colorful canvases.

This early graphic work is characteristic of the innovative approach to printmaking taking place within the German avant-garde at the time. Despite the instability surrounding the artist during this chaotic period, Klee maintained a steady, systematic output of graphic works, which proved essential to his eventual artistic maturation. The piece provides crucial insight into how Klee evolved from initial figurative experiments toward his signature abstract language. This significant etching is a key holding within the expansive collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York (MoMA), where it helps trace the origins of abstract printmaking in the 20th century. Today, scholarly attention is often given to this era of Klee's career, and high-resolution reproductions of these early prints are occasionally made available through public domain archives for academic research.