
Read the visual description
This painting displays intersecting lines and block shapes creating an abstract scene. Rectangular grids and curved lines evoke buildings or architectural structures, with two tall shapes on the left and right appearing like tall towers or walls with pointed roofs, and a shape in the center looking like an arch or an opening across a pathway or bridge. These shapes have been painted with black outlines, but within those outlines and overlapping with them are circles of bright green, yellow, pink, red, and dark blue, with some white between the circles. The paint has been applied thickly, with wide, visible brushstrokes.
National Gallery of Art · Drawing
Baum und Architektur--Rhythmen (Tree and Architecture--Rhythms)
Paul Klee
- Date
- 1920
- Medium
- oil on paper
- Dimensions
- overall: 27.9 x 38.3 cm (11 x 15 1/16 in.)
- Classification
- Drawing
- Accession number
- 2004.140.41.a
- Credit line
- Gift of Benjamin and Lillian Hertzberg
- Time span
- 1901 to 1925
- Department
- CG-W
Subjects and terms
- architecture
- Swiss
- Building
Provenance
Benjamin and Lilian Hertzberg, New York; gift to NGA, 2004.
NGA object ID 130844. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.