With the Dot

"With the Dot" is an important early abstract drawing by Paul Klee, executed in 1916 using pen and black ink. Classified as a drawing, this seminal work was created while Klee was serving in the German military during World War I, a period characterized by the artist’s intense exploration of line, geometry, and abstract composition. Following his influential trip to Tunisia in 1914, Klee sought a new visual language rooted in structural principles, moving away from illustrative representation towards the pure expression of form and rhythm. The economy of the pen and black ink medium compels the viewer to focus on the essential dynamics of line and space.

Klee uses a precise network of intersecting lines and angular shapes to define a complex, yet balanced, compositional field. The structure of With the Dot suggests overlapping planes and ambiguous depths within a shallow spatial environment, typical of the abstract works Klee created in Germany during this decade. The piece’s formal energy centers around the titular dot, which acts as a pivotal anchor, controlling the tension and equilibrium of the radiating elements. The simplicity of the medium allows Klee to explore the tonal variation possible through differing line weights and densities. This investigation into graphic fundamentals remains critical for understanding Klee's subsequent transition into color-based painting. Prints of this work are frequently utilized in the study of early 20th-century Modernist graphic art. This significant piece is held in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.