Paul Klee, Insecten, 1919, 114 (Ausschnitt), Sammlung E.W.K., Bern

In 1904, Paul Klee writes the following in his diary: “There are two mountains where all is bright and clear: the mountain of the animals and the mountain of the gods. But between them lies the shadowy valley of humankind”. With these lines Paul Klee, the human, describes his view of animals, which he equates with the divine. Klee’s extensive artistic legacy includes countless representations of animals, addressing themes such as the exploration of nature, the creation of mysterious beasts and humorous commentaries on the multifaceted relationship between humans and animals. Klee is stimulated by the endless variety of forms in nature and demonstrates his imaginative powers by inventing hybrid creatures and new animal species.
But Klee also considers the differences between humans and animals, observing and exploring typical roles, properties and behaviour patterns in his works. With his profoundly human animals and animalistic humans he questions our understanding of humans and animals and creates a disconcerting, and often cheerful or ironic, distance. The idiosyncratic, often ironic titles, given to all his works by the artist also helps us understand this peculiar artistic world, without channeling the imagination of the viewer in one particular direction.