Composition with Figures

1915

Paul Klee

Associated Names
Paul Klee

Artist, Swiss, 1879 - 1940

This painting displays rectangular shapes of varied colors including shades of pink, red, brown, orange, yellow-green, and white. Paint has been applied unevenly in some of the sections, allowing spots of off-white paper to show through. Some of the colors also bleed into each other at the edges of the squares. At the bottom are two drawings resembling the outlines of human figures wearing hats. No faces are visible, suggesting the people are facing away from us. The person on the right appears to be on horseback, and the outline of the horse's head is facing the right. There are more lines drawn in other parts of the painting, but they are faint and make no discernable shapes.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and ink and watercolor on paper mounted on card stock

  • Credit Line

    Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 10.16 × 12.7 cm (4 × 5 in.)
    mount: 10.8 × 13.02 cm (4 1/4 × 5 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2014.18.25


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Paul Mellon [1907-1999], Upperville, Virginia, by 1966; bequest 1999 to NGA, with life interest to his wife, Rachel Lambert Mellon [1910-2014]; gift completed in 2014

Associated Names

Inscriptions

upper right in ink: Klee; lower right in ink on mount: 1915 191

Wikidata ID

Q64619077

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