Bauhaus · 1922

Twittering Machine

Paul Klee 1879–1940

Twittering Machine (1922) by Paul Klee. Its palette is led by pewter (#88969b, 47%) and light muted aqua (#92a9ab, 26%). Overall the canvas is light, muted and cool.

Color note

After a trip to Tunisia in 1914, Klee wrote in his diary: “Color and I are one. I am a painter.” He later taught color theory at the Bauhaus.

Palette

#88969b MG 214 pewter 46.8% of canvas
#92a9ab MG 080 light muted aqua 26.4% of canvas
#b6acac MG 213 light grey 12.6% of canvas
#6d6d6d MG 216 dark grey 11.7% of canvas
#575553 MG 210 slate 2.5% of canvas

Color families

Gray 74%, Blue 23%, Red 2%, Brown 1%, Pink 0%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.67
Contrast: 0.25
Vividness: 0.020
Warmth: -0.89
Complexity: 25 cells
Hue range: 0.36
Focus: 0.17

Composition

53% of the visual weight is in the left half, 57% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.01 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 63% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 25% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1922
Collection: Museum of Modern Art, New York City

Download the pin · Save to Pinterest