Paul Klee (1879-1940) was born in Switzerland and is considered both a German and a Swiss. He was playing the violin by age seven and using sidewalk chalk his grandmother had given him to draw by age eight. It wasn't until he was a teen that he became more driven toward the visual arts. He kept a diary which many art students have gained insights from. In 1898 he started study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. In 1905 he developed some experimental techniques. In 1933 and 1934 he finally got to meet Picasso who he admired. He was an artist of wide talent and took great pleasure in combining many mediums into one piece of work. There is a museum in Switzerland called the "Zentrum Paul Klee" that is devoted to his work and is home to more than 4,000 pieces. He was a prolific artist in his time and enjoyed some notoriety and fame while still alive. There are many musicians who accredit the inspiration for their lyrics and music to his artwork and words. He was known to influence many other noted 20th century artists like Belgian artist Rene Carcan. Klee's art and movements had heavy influences from Cubism, Surrealism and Expressionism. He also has been associated with Abstractionism and Futurism-you could say his works are singularly hard to describe. His individual style is considered pointillist. Several of his collections and more than 100 paintings were seized by the Nazis during WWII.
