Paul Klee
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About
German-Swiss painter whose more than 10,000 works included "Fish Magic," "Ranks," and "Twittering Machine." He was influenced by expressionism, cubism, surrealism, and orientalism.
Before Fame
He studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich where he was a student of the famed Heinrich Knirr and Franz von Stuck. He was good friends with Hermann Haller and spent time in Italy with him from October 1901 until May 1902 following the death of his illegitimate son in 1900.
Trivia
He authored 'Paul Klee Notebooks,' which consisted of his lectures on form and design theory and was considered as important for his artistic era as 'A Treatise on Painting' was for Leonardo da Vinci's era.
Family Life
He was the son of a music teacher and a singer and discovered his own talent for the violin while studying at the Municipal Music School. He married pianist Lily Stumpf in 1906; their son, Felix Paul, was born in 1907.
Associated With
He and Wassily Kandinsky both taught at the Bauhaus School.