"The more horrifying this world becomes, the more art becomes abstract." ~ Klee
Paul Klee, the artist showcased on our class website, believed art was worth fighting for. A special article by Time magazine, took a look at "prominent artists that challenged authority." Klee is listed as one of the Top 10 Persecuted Artists of our time.
Paul Klee was born in Switzerland (1879); however he lived the majority of his life in Germany. The rise of the Third Reich in the 1930s changed that. "As part of Hitler's attempt to rid the country of 'degenerate art,' many prominent artists were either forced to leave the country or became trapped in internal exile" (Time, 2011). By 1933, most modern art was described as 'degenerate' by the National Socialist Society for German Culture. The goal of this group was to put an end to the corruption of art by removing all art the group determined was 'degenerate.'
During this time, Klee was teaching at Dusseldorf Academy; however, Hitler's censure of degenerate artists made it impossible for Klee to retain his position. He was dismissed from the academy, and his house and studio searched by the Gestapo. To fight this injustice, Klee continued to work on his art during this trying time. In fact, much of his work from this period are visual representations of the inhumanity of the Nazi regime.
Eventually, the constant disruptions forced Klee to leave Germany and return to his birthplace, Switzerland where he could paint in peace. Overall, Klee created 9,000 paintings, drawings and watercolors. Klee's fight ended in 1940 from the debilitating disease, scleroderma.
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