The Image as Stage: Paul Klee and the Creation of Theatrical Space

Paul Klee frequently composed his images as theatrical spaces containing depictions of characters and props. In particular, he employed the curtain as a motif, which lent a theatrical gesture or quality to his pictures. Through the use of specific examples, the following will explain how Klee's notion of the image as stage developed and changed. First, we will focus on the Cubist, theatrical compositions of 1913-14. Second, we will explore the curtain as motif and the many ways Klee used it, even during his later years in exile in Switzerland. We will end with 1939's Uebermut (High spirits), since it can be considered the artist's most important theatrical work involving the stage curtain as a theme.