The Nightmare (Der schreckliche Traum) (plate, page 185) from the periodical Münchner Blätter für Dichtung und Graphik, vol. 1, no. 11/12 (December 1919)

Paul Klee's The Nightmare (Der schreckliche Traum) (plate, page 185) from the periodical Münchner Blätter für Dichtung und Graphik, vol. 1, no. 11/12 (December 1919) is a significant lithograph produced during the pivotal year of 1919. This work, created in the print medium, was one of nine lithographs included in the late 1919 double issue of the influential Münchner Blätter für Dichtung und Graphik, an important German periodical dedicated to radical artistic and literary expression. Klee utilized the stark graphic qualities of lithography extensively during this period, finding it a suitable technique for exploring his evolving style, which often merged early abstraction with raw, emotive figuration.

Created shortly after the catastrophic conclusion of World War I, this piece reflects the turbulent cultural and psychological environment of the early Weimar Republic. While Klee would soon become deeply associated with the analytical clarity of the Bauhaus, his output in 1919 shows a strong engagement with expressionistic and experimental graphics prevalent in German art circles. The stylized rendering of the subject, appropriate for the Münchner Blätter, emphasizes psychological unease and postwar anxiety. This specific lithograph captures the distinct, often jagged line work and the compressed sense of space characteristic of Klee’s development toward his signature geometric yet deeply emotive artistic language.

As a crucial example of Klee's early graphic experimentation, this German print is preserved in the extensive collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York. The original periodical itself serves as a rare historical artifact documenting the collaborative artistic milieu of 1919. While the original periodical is scarce, specialized prints and reproductions of works from this era occasionally become available through public domain initiatives, ensuring wider access to the foundation of Klee’s contributions to modern graphic art.