plate no. 9219

The Goldfish

Paul Klee, 1925

oil, watercolor, paperExpressionismanimal paintingfishwaterplantsaquatic lifeseaweedabstract

recreation guide

Paul Klee’s *The Goldfish* (1925) emerges from his post-Tunisia period, where he sought to create compositions analogous to nature’s formative principles rather than imitating nature directly (Source 1). The work reflects his synthesis of draftsmanship and color, a breakthrough he achieved after realizing that 'Color and I are one' during his 1914 trip to Tunisia (Source 8). Klee’s approach in this era involved using colored rectangles and blocks as basic building blocks, akin to musical notes, to create color harmonies (Source 8). The medium—oil and watercolor on paper—allows for the transparency and layering characteristic of his watermedia experiments, where he often combined graphic signs with color to harmonize object and abstraction (Source 1).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions

materials

5 items

steps

4 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
High-quality watercolor paper	Support for mixed media; Klee frequently worked on paper supports during this period.	300gsm cold-pressed cotton watercolor paper
Watercolor paints	Primary medium for transparent layers and color experiments; Klee used watercolors to implement strong light and color stimuli (Source 1).	Professional grade tube watercolors
Oil paints	For opaque accents and structural definition, mixed with watercolor as indicated by the artwork's medium.	Standard tube oil paints
Gum arabic	Binder for watercolors; essential for holding pigment in suspension and allowing for the transparency Klee utilized (Source 3).	Pre-mixed in tube watercolors or available as liquid additive
Fine brushes and pens	For applying water-soluble media and creating the graphic signs and grid-like structures Klee employed (Source 1, Source 3).	Synthetic round brushes and fine-liner pens

preparation

surface prep

Klee often worked directly on paper without heavy priming, allowing the tooth of the paper to interact with the watercolor. For mixed media (oil and watercolor), the paper should be sturdy enough to handle the weight of the oil without warping. No specific ground preparation is cited for this specific work, but Klee’s general practice involved using paper supports for his watermedia experiments (Source 1, Source 3).

underdrawing

Klee’s works from this period often feature graphic signs and grid-like structures that dissolve into colored harmony (Source 1). He likely began with a light underdrawing to establish the 'grid' or structural framework, consistent with his method of conveying scenery in a grid to create compositions analogous to nature (Source 1).

underpainting

Klee’s technique involved layering transparent watercolors to build up color harmony. He did not typically use a traditional opaque underpainting but rather built up layers of transparent color, sometimes incorporating opaque elements later (Source 1, Source 3).

color palette

Complementary pairs

Red-Green, Blue-Orange, Yellow-Purple

Klee frequently used complementary pairs to create contrast and visual tension, reflecting his musical approach to color harmony (Source 2, Source 8).

Transparent hues

Diluted watercolors

Creating the 'colored harmony' and allowing the paper’s white to contribute to the lightness, consistent with his watercolor practice (Source 1, Source 3).

Opaque accents

Oil paints or gouache

Defining specific graphic signs or objects, as Klee combined graphic elements with color (Source 1).

composition

Klee’s composition likely relies on a grid-like structure, as he conveyed scenery in a grid to dissolve it into colored harmony (Source 1). The use of colored rectangles and blocks as basic building blocks, akin to musical notes, is characteristic of his post-Tunisia work (Source 8). Specific details of *The Goldfish* are not described in the sources, so the composition should follow his general habit of combining graphic signs with color to create a harmony analogous to musical composition (Source 1, Source 8).

step by step

underdrawing→first pass→refining→finishing

underdrawing

step 01
Lightly sketch a grid or structural framework on the paper, establishing the basic shapes and positions of the elements.
Tip — Keep lines light to allow for transparency in later layers.
Grid-based composition

first pass

step 02
Apply transparent watercolor washes to establish the base colors, using complementary pairs to create contrast and harmony.
Tip — Allow layers to dry completely before adding more to maintain clarity.
Transparent layering

refining

step 03
Add graphic signs and opaque accents using oil paints or gouache to define specific elements, such as the goldfish or background details.
Tip — Ensure the paper can handle the weight of the oil without warping.
Mixed media layering

finishing

step 04
Review the color harmony, adjusting any areas where the contrast or tension is not balanced, consistent with Klee’s musical approach to color.
Tip — Use complementary colors to neutralize or enhance specific hues as needed.
Color harmony adjustment

critical techniques

Grid-based composition

Klee used grids to dissolve scenery into colored harmony, creating compositions analogous to nature’s formative principles (Source 1).

Complementary color pairing

Klee frequently used complementary pairs to create visual tension and harmony, reflecting his musical approach to color (Source 2, Source 8).

Transparent layering

Klee used watercolors to build up transparent layers, allowing the paper’s white to contribute to the lightness and harmony (Source 3).

common pitfalls

→Over-saturating the watercolors, which can obscure the transparency and harmony Klee sought to achieve (Source 3).
→Ignoring the grid structure, which is essential for creating the compositional harmony analogous to nature (Source 1).
→Mixing oil and watercolor improperly, leading to warping or poor adhesion on the paper support.

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.

·Specific visual details of *The Goldfish* (e.g., exact placement of the fish, background elements) are not described in the sources.
·Exact pigment mixtures used by Klee for this specific work are not provided.
·The specific sequence of oil and watercolor application in this mixed-media work is not detailed in the sources.

cross-referenced from

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

Wikipedia bio — Paul Klee — part 11↗
- Mystical-abstract period, 1914–1919 — applied to Grid-based composition, watercolor use, and harmony principles
Wikipedia: Complementary colors — Complementary colors — part 1↗
- Complementary colors — applied to Color theory and complementary pair usage
Wikipedia: Watercolor painting — Watercolor painting — part 7↗
- Watercolor painting — applied to Watercolor materials and transparent layering techniques
Wikipedia bio — Paul Klee — part 4↗
- Trip to Tunis, 1914 — applied to Musical approach to color and colored rectangles as building blocks