The One in Love (Der Verliebte) from Masters' Portfolio of the Staatliches Bauhaus (Meistermappe des Staatlichen Bauhauses) by Paul Klee is a key lithograph created in 1923. This print was conceived as an integral component of the influential Meistermappe des Staatlichen Bauhauses, a significant collection issued to promote the progressive artistic agenda of the German school and raise necessary funds. The portfolio brought together original prints by the major faculty members, demonstrating the diversity and innovative spirit fostered at the Bauhaus during its Weimar period. Klee, serving as a master teacher at the institution, contributed three lithographs to the set, utilizing the precise, graphic qualities of the medium to articulate complex, often ambiguous emotional states.
Klee, who joined the Bauhaus faculty in 1921, frequently explored the interplay between abstraction, diagrammatic representation, and psychology in his art. This particular composition eschews strict geometric formality, presenting instead an organic assemblage of lines and forms that suggest the abstract dynamics of affection. The title, Der Verliebte, directs the viewer toward interpreting the delicate, almost childlike drawing as a map or symbol of the subject's inner feeling. The resulting image relies on controlled tonality and an economy of line, demonstrating the mastery Klee achieved in graphic media during the early 1920s.
The creation of limited edition prints like this one reflects the Bauhaus philosophy of embracing reproducibility as an artistic and political tool, allowing advanced design principles to reach a wider audience. Produced during a defining moment in modern German art history, this lithograph exemplifies the experimental vitality encouraged by the masters of the school. Although some educational resources reference the Meistermappe in discussions of works available through public domain initiatives, this original 1923 impression remains a crucial historical artifact. This print is permanently held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, where it contributes to the museum’s comprehensive holdings of seminal graphic works by Klee and his contemporaries.
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