MEETING ON A BRIDGE. AN APPROACH TO KLEE AN JAPAN

For some time now scholars and the public have acknowledged that many Japanese love Paul Klee. Osamu Okuda has theorized, »In the midst of a rapidly progressing modernizationprocess, Japan recognized its traditional aesthetic values again in Klee's art, to which it reached back, in order to preserve its cultural identity.« Precisely what in Klee's art allows many Japanese to see their own aesthetics remains to be articulated, and this essay represents a contribution to that larger project. As part of her inquiry, Jenny Anger meets with contemporary Japanese artists and enjoys an extraordinary visit to a traditional teahouse decorated with a Klee.