Three Heads (Drei Köpfe)

Three Heads (Drei Köpfe) by Paul Klee is a significant lithograph created in 1919. This print exemplifies Klee’s transition toward graphic clarity and abstraction immediately following the conclusion of World War I. The work is defined by its use of spare, economical line, a characteristic highly effective within the medium of lithography. Klee utilizes sharp black contours against the pale ground, allowing the composition to achieve maximal visual impact through minimal means.

The subject matter features three highly schematic frontal portraits, reduced entirely to essential geometry. Klee employs basic shapes, such as circles and truncated triangles, to denote the eyes, noses, and overall cranium structures. While visually reduced, the composition arranges the three heads close together, suggesting an implied narrative or psychological interaction among the figures.

This early 1919 work belongs to a critical period where Klee, a key figure in the German avant-garde, explored methods of expressing inner reality and metaphysical concepts through simplified form, moving beyond the material limitations of traditional representation. His graphic approach during this time foreshadows his later, more color-intensive explorations in painting. Klee’s contribution to the development of Modernist prints is profound, and the graphic precision of this lithograph solidifies his foundational role. As a key example of his conceptual approach to portraiture, Three Heads is permanently housed within the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, ensuring the continued study of this German masterwork.