Paul Klee: Hand Puppets
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,Sculpture
Paul Klee: Hand Puppets Details
Between 1916 and 1925 Paul Klee (1879-1940) made some 50 hand puppets for his son, Felix, of which 30 are still in existence. For the heads, he used materials from his own household: beef bones and electrical outlets, bristle brushes, leftover bits of fur and nutshells. Soon he began to sew costumes. These characters and small works, do not pretend to be great art, but at the same time, they are superbly imaginative, sweetly reminiscent of Klee's relationships with his family, and beautifully illustrative of the artistic and social developments of the time. Readers will see the chronological proximity of Dada and Kurt Schwitters's collages in Klee's Matchbox Ghost; the German National caricatures one of the era's more ominous political types. An introductory essay tracks the work's links to other avant-garde puppetry and to Klee's sculptural works, and notes his connections to the theater. For their part, Klee's son Felix and his grandson Alexander tell the story of how the figures were created.
Reviews
For over 50 years Klee has been a favorite of mine and I have many books on him.......a few had brief mentions of his puppets and a few small black and white photos.......enough to send me searching for more information and especially good photographs.......this book is absolutely wonderful and the photos are large and clear, showing the delicate painting.What a wonderful gift he gave his son and its so nice reading Felix's memories of his father.It was my gift to myself this Christmas.....one I will cherish!
