Striding Out (Austritt)

Striding Out (Austritt) by Paul Klee is a seminal example of graphic abstraction created in 1923. Executed as a lithograph, this print technique allowed Klee to experiment intensely with dynamic lines and compressed, rhythmic forms characteristic of his post-Bauhaus preliminary course explorations. The lithograph medium emphasizes crisp edges and controlled tonal variation, resulting in a composition that balances geometric precision with implied, often angular, motion.

Created during the turbulent but artistically vibrant period of the Weimar Republic, this work reflects the innovative spirit of German culture in the early 1920s. Klee, then teaching foundational theory and design principles at the Bauhaus, was deeply engaged in theoretical studies of movement, structure, and graphic shorthand. Although the title suggests a figure or energy moving forcefully forward, the piece is rendered through simplified, almost hieroglyphic shapes and arrow-like indicators. Klee employs a system of superimposed lines and planar blocks that meticulously structure directionality without relying on realistic human or spatial representation. This abstraction compels the viewer to focus on the energetic tension inherent in the concept of movement itself, reflecting the machine age’s interest in efficiency and force.

The formal economy demonstrated in this print is typical of the artist's prolific output during this transitional period. While many of Klee’s oil paintings utilized delicate color fields, the Striding Out (Austritt) lithograph proves his mastery of pure line and black-and-white tonality. This work is classified among the foundational prints of the German modern art movement. This specific impression is held in the renowned collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, where it contributes to the institution’s deep holdings of key European Modernist graphic works. The work continues to illuminate the foundational graphic principles Klee later applied to his celebrated pedagogy and highly influential canvases.