Paul Klee, 1879-1940 (Taschen) [Paperback]

Susanna Partsch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1994 | Series: Taschen

Designated as "degenerate" by the Nazis, Paul Klee (1879-1940) is today considered one of the most important artists of the 20th century. His works stand out for the variety in their forms of artistic expression. His Tunisian water-colours depicting landscape, architecture and, above all, the North African light of this Mediterranean land constitute the true beginning of Klee's painting career. Although these paintings still fall under the heading of "objective", they already exhibit indications of his tendency toward abstraction and a language of forms. Geometrical figures and hieroglyphic elements characterize the majority of these works, which for this reason seem reminiscent of "naive" and playful children's painting. In reality, however, his paintings have their roots in theoretical considerations, their recurrent symbols conveying personal and at times political content.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Taschen; 1st ed edition (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3822802999
• ISBN-13: 978-3822802991
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,582,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Klee Universe, January 30, 2010

By 

dream factory (Triangulum, M33) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paul Klee, 1879-1940 (Basic Art) (Paperback)

We were fortunate to have obtained a windfall of 9 Klee books:
Here Taschen presents a straight up non-complicated art book. All of Klee's standard landmark paintings are reproduced in the usual Taschen grade style. 86 mostly color (some b&w) reproductions.

The biography from draughtsman to painter to world master shall leave your palate satisfied and fully knowledged with his life.

pluses (+): affordable generic Taschen fare.
minuses (-): many reproductions very small. Some of the blue is vulgar.

Book available in large and small editions (paperback)

Please see our other Klee reviews.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Little Art Book, August 2, 2008

By 

Jay Vogelsong (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paul Klee, 1879-1940 (Taschen) (Paperback)

I now own and have read six books on Paul Klee, and this is my favorite so far. The text clearly explains the artist's life and works. The reproductions are beautiful and include many of Klee's most important pieces. And the price is great even for a short art book, since it does such a wonderful job in its limited space. I have already purchased several more of the Taschen basic art series on the strength of this one, and plan to purchase more.

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very poorly written, June 14, 2007

By 

jayday (Tucson, AZ) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Paul Klee, 1879-1940 (Basic Art) (Paperback)

I have 8 of the books in this series and this is by far the worst; the others are good or very good. The writing and organization is very poor. The first time I tried to read it, I found myself reading the first several pages a few times to make some sense of it. The rest of the book is no better.