plate no. 5176

Fish Magic

Paul Klee, 1925

panelExpressionismsymbolic paintingfishflowersclockabstract figuregeometric shapesdark background

what to study here

It shows how a narrow dark value range, spare scratched line and a few warm and cool accents can organize a crowded symbolic scene.

Look at how the painting is built from a dark ground with small, light-struck forms set into it. The visionGuide reports a value range that sits almost entirely in the darks and midtones, with an uneven olive-brown background as the dominant mass. The lightest notes are the pale clock face, the vessels and the flower centers, so they read like jewels in shadow. A clock on a geometric house or tower shape anchors the center, and the eye goes there first, then moves out to the scattered fish. Warm and cool accents are spread across the dark: a pink fish left of center, golden and orange fish at right, a blue fish mid-right, and an ochre glow in the upper left. The fish are simple ovoid bodies with scored or scratched lines for tails and details, and the flowers are skeletal line drawings. The central structure has cleaner edges than the rougher, gestural fish. Study how much the painting does with so little value range, and how drawn line stands in for modeling. The recreation text says the figures were scratched out of black paint over colored layers, which fits the scored marks the visionGuide describes.

key decision

Klee kept the whole picture in a dark, uneven ground and let small pale and colored shapes carry the light. He drew the forms with scored, simplified line rather than modeling them.

recreation guide

Fish Magic (1925) is a seminal work by Paul Klee that exemplifies his synthesis of aquatic, celestial, and earthly entities through a complex layering of media. The painting is characterized by a delicate surface of black paint applied over a dense layer of multicolored pigments, creating a mysterious, inky atmosphere. A defining feature is the inclusion of a square of muslin glued to the center, functioning as a collage element that contrasts with the painted background. The figures—fish, flora, humans, and a clock tower—are not painted on top but are scratched and scrawled out from the dark surface, revealing the vibrant colors beneath. This technique recalls Klee’s earlier experiments with scratching on blackened glass (Verre églomisé) and his general practice of combining disparate materials like fabric and paint to achieve a fragile, childlike quality.

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions (allowing for drying times between layers and careful scratching)

materials

7 items

steps

5 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Wood panel	Support surface, consistent with the artwork's medium description	—
Oil paints (multicolored)	To create the dense underlayer of pigments	Standard tube oil paints
Black oil paint or black wash	To create the delicate dark surface layer	Ivory Black or Lamp Black oil paint
Muslin fabric	To be glued to the center as a collage element	Lightweight cotton muslin
Adhesive	To attach the muslin to the panel	Acrylic medium or archival glue
Sharp scratching tool	To scratch/scrawl figures through the black layer	Palette knife tip, needle, or stylus
Brushes	For applying paint and glazing	Various sizes of bristle and sable brushes

preparation

surface prep

Prepare a rigid wood panel. Klee often worked on small-scale supports and combined media. Ensure the surface is primed to accept both oil paint and adhesive for the fabric collage element. The final effect relies on the contrast between the painted surface and the textured fabric.

underdrawing

Sources do not explicitly describe a preliminary underdrawing for Fish Magic. However, Klee was a natural draftsman who often used geometric forms and grid-like compositions. It is likely that the placement of the central muslin square and the general layout of the 'aquatic, celestial, and earthly entities' were planned, but the specific figures were generated through the scratching process rather than drawn beforehand.

underpainting

Apply a dense layer of multicolored pigments across the panel. This layer serves as the 'reveal' layer. The colors should be vibrant and varied, as they will be exposed through the scratching process. This aligns with the description of a 'dense layer of multicolored pigments' lying under the black surface (Source 1).

color palette

Multicolored pigments

Various bright hues (reds, yellows, blues, greens)

The dense underlayer revealed by scratching. Klee’s work from this period often features highly polychromatic palettes and a 'fragile childlike quality' (Source 4).

Black

Black oil paint

The delicate surface layer covering the colors. Creates the 'mysterious and inky atmosphere' (Source 1).

Natural Muslin

Unbleached or lightly toned fabric

The central square collage element, providing textural contrast and fragility (Source 1).

composition

The composition centers on a square of muslin glued to the middle, creating a collage effect. A thin diagonal line extends from the middle right of the canvas to the top of a clock tower, a specific compositional device noted by Ann Temkin as seeming 'ready to pull the [square of muslin] off to reveal something underneath' (Source 1). The arrangement intermingles aquatic, celestial, and earthly entities, reflecting Klee’s tendency to blend fantasy with natural empiricism (Source 1).

step by step

underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing

underpainting

step 01
Apply a dense, thick layer of multicolored oil paints across the entire panel. Do not worry about specific forms yet; focus on creating a rich, varied chromatic base.
Tip — Ensure the layer is dense enough to provide strong color contrast when revealed later.
Impasto / Layering

first pass

step 02
Allow the underlayer to dry completely. Then, apply a delicate, thin layer of black paint over the entire surface. This should be opaque enough to cover the colors but thin enough to allow for scratching.
Tip — The black layer should create a 'mysterious and inky atmosphere' (Source 1). Avoid making it too thick, or it will be difficult to scratch through.
Glazing / Overpainting

refining

step 03
Glue a square of muslin to the center of the panel. This acts as a collage element, introducing fragility and texture.
Tip — Ensure the adhesive is secure but does not warp the fabric excessively. The muslin should contrast with the painted surface.
Collage
step 04
Using a sharp tool, scratch and scrawl figures into the black paint. Reveal the multicolored underlayer to form fish, flora, human beings, and a clock tower. The technique is described as a 'sophisticated version of the games children play with wax crayons' (Source 1).
Tip — Work confidently. The lines should be expressive and spontaneous. Pay attention to the diagonal line extending from the middle right to the clock tower (Source 1).
Scratching / Sgraffito

finishing

step 05
Review the balance of revealed color and remaining black. Add any final touches to the scratched lines if necessary. Ensure the muslin square remains distinct.
Tip — The goal is to reconcile 'intellectual and imaginative forces' to produce a 'sense of magic' (Source 1).
Final Adjustment

critical techniques

Scratching on dark surface

Klee used this method to reveal underlying colors, similar to his earlier Verre églomisé works where he scratched on blackened glass (Source 3). In Fish Magic, this creates the figures from the negative space of the black paint.

Collage with fabric

Klee frequently combined media, including fabric like muslin, burlap, and gauze, with paint (Source 4). The muslin square in Fish Magic adds a tactile, fragile element to the composition.

Layering for contrast

The juxtaposition of the dense multicolored underlayer and the delicate black overlayer creates visual depth and mystery. This aligns with Klee’s interest in color harmony and contrast (Source 2, Source 6).

common pitfalls

→Applying the black layer too thickly, which prevents the underlying colors from showing through clearly when scratched.
→Scratching too tentatively, resulting in muddy lines rather than the crisp, expressive marks described as 'scrawled out' (Source 1).
→Ignoring the specific compositional element of the diagonal line leading to the clock tower, which is crucial to the painting’s dynamic tension (Source 1).
→Using a fabric that is too heavy or textured, which would disrupt the 'delicate' and 'fragile' atmosphere intended by the muslin square (Source 1).

what the sources don't tell us

Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.

·The exact pigments used in the multicolored underlayer are not specified in the sources.
·The specific type of adhesive used to attach the muslin is not detailed.
·The precise dimensions of the muslin square relative to the panel are not provided.
·The specific colors of the fish, flora, and clock tower are not described, only that they are 'multicolored'.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- Simultaneous contrast — applied to General principles of color harmony and contrast relevant to the layered palette.

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia: Fish Magic↗
- Analysis — applied to Description of the black surface, multicolored underlayer, scratching technique, and muslin collage.
Wikipedia bio — Paul Klee↗
- Early works — applied to Context for the scratching technique (Verre églomisé) and Klee’s history with combining painting and scratching.
- General practice — applied to Confirmation of Klee’s use of mixed media, fabric, and collage elements.

Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.

read from the painting

observed from the image, not the label

6 dominant colors, measured

what the eye sees

This painting is structured around a dark olive-green and brown void punctuated by symbolic, luminous figures. A geometric house or tower shape with a clock face anchors the composition vertically at center. The eye reads the clock first due to its pale, circular form, then disperses outward to simplified fish scattered throughout—notably a pink one in the left-center, golden and orange ones toward the right, and a blue one mid-right. The upper left corner glows with warm ochre tones suggesting flame or warmth, while the right side hosts delicate floral forms. Abstract figures with round heads and spindly bodies inhabit the bottom, surrounded by pale vessels.

value structure

The painting lives almost entirely in the dark-to-midtone range, with no true whites or very lights. The background is a complex, uneven dark olive-brown that reads as the dominant mass. The lightest accents—the clock face, pale vases, highlights on flowers—feel like jewels set into shadow. When squinting, you see broad dark masses interrupted by warm (ochre, orange, rust) and cool (blue, pale green) objects. This extreme value compression creates both intimacy and mystery.

observed palette and mixes

#1b211a
Ivory Black + Ultramarine Blue + burnt Sienna (almost black with subtle green cast)
Dominant background throughout, especially right side and shadowed areas
#353525
Burnt Sienna + Ultramarine + touch of Yellow Ochre
Mid-dark background variation, left and center areas
#7e6b4f
Burnt Sienna + Yellow Ochre + touch of Burnt Umber
Upper left warm glow, some fish bodies, background texture
#4d452f
Raw Sienna + Ultramarine + Burnt Umber
Deep russet accents, background modulation
#f0c070
Cadmium Yellow Medium + touch of Cadmium Red + Titanium White
Several fish, background highlights, warm areas
#e07050
Cadmium Red + Cadmium Yellow
Orange fish (right side), warm background accents
#d45080
Alizarin Crimson + Cadmium Red + touch of Ultramarine
Pink fish (left-center), mauve circle (upper left)
#4d5fa8
Ultramarine Blue + touch of Cerulean + Titanium White
Blue fish (right-center), dark blue accents
#c8d8a8
Cadmium Yellow + Titanium White + touch of Ultramarine
Pale green vases and plant forms at bottom, pale foliage
#f5f0d8
Titanium White + touch of Yellow Ochre
Clock face, pale vessel interiors, flower centers

edges and brushwork

Most forms are rendered with spare, linear marks—the fish are drawn as simple ovoid bodies with scored or scratched lines for tails and details, giving them a childlike, symbolic quality rather than biological accuracy. The central geometric structure has cleaner, more precise edges compared to the rougher, gestural fish. The flowers are rendered as skeletal line drawings with minimal form. Overall, the technique privileges expressive line and economical mark-making; nothing is rendered realistically, and every visible stroke feels intentional.

a working sequence

01
Establish dark atmospheric base
Cover the entire surface with a complex dark olive-green-brown mixture, allowing slight variation and unevenness—aim for it to feel worn and textured, not uniform. This dark ground is the soul of the painting; don't make it too opaque. Leave some areas slightly warmer (more brown) and others slightly cooler (more green) to suggest depth.
02
Block warm upper left and compositional landmarks
Using a dilute mid-tone wash, roughly indicate where the warm ochre glow will sit in the upper left, and lightly mark the vertical axis where the central geometric structure will live. This is your map; keep it subtle.
03
Paint the central geometric structure and clock
Build the triangular-roofed house or tower shape using pale yellow-ochre tones. Paint the circular clock face in the center with pale cream or off-white, adding simple radial lines or numbers to suggest a clock. Keep edges relatively clean and precise compared to other elements.
04
Lay in major fish forms
Paint the largest fish first: the pink fish in the left-center area, the golden and orange fish toward the right, and the blue fish mid-right. Use simple ovoid or almond-shaped bodies with flat or slightly tapering forms. Don't worry about anatomical detail—these are symbols, not naturalistic studies.
05
Add abstract figures and vessels at bottom
Paint the two stylized figures with circular heads and thin legs in the lower center. Surround them with various vessel forms (conical, cylindrical, rounded containers) rendered in pale greens, creams, and soft tones. These should feel assembled rather than realistic.
06
Develop floral and botanical elements on right
Add the daisy-like flower with a yellow center and white petals in the upper right corner, and scatter delicate, skeletal plant forms throughout the right side and lower areas. Use fine, linear strokes for stems and leaves—these should feel almost like drawings rather than painted forms.
07
Add linear details and scratch work
Using a stylus, fine brush handle, or scratch tool, score fine lines through the dark paint into lower layers—add details to the fish (eyes, fin lines, scales as marks), plant details, and decorative geometric patterns. This layered scratching gives the painting its signature energetic, hand-drawn quality and suggests complexity beneath the surface.
08
Final focal point adjustments
Brighten the clock face slightly if needed, add any missing circular accents (orange sphere, red spheres, pale circles), and ensure the warm upper left and floral right side read clearly. Step back frequently—the goal is to feel like a world of floating symbolic objects in a dark void, not a crowded illustration.

where studies of this painting go wrong

Over-blending or smoothing the dark background—it needs visible texture, brushmark, and tonal variation to feel alive and painterly
Making the fish and creatures too realistic or anatomically convincing; Klee uses radical simplification, almost childlike proportions and features
Applying dark background too thickly or opaquely over fresh underlayers; the painting's magic lies in feeling like scratched-through or overlaid layers with older pigments showing through
Rendering every line carefully and decoratively; the scratched marks and painted lines should feel quick, energetic, and sometimes awkward—precious technique will kill the work's spirit
Losing the dominance of the dark ground; if the background reads as 'full of stuff' rather than 'darkness with jewels set into it,' the composition tips toward chaos instead of mystery

measured difficulty