PAUL KLEE

In music theory, “Polyphony” refers to the combination of multiple tones or melodies to create a textural sound. Paul Klee was a trained and talented violinist, as well as a radical visual artist of the Bauhaus, and he took his understanding of music theory into the visual realm to create an aesthetic idea of polyphony in painting. The concept needs little explanation that is not provided by Klee’s work itself, and his idea that music was key in creating new, abstract art runs through every element of his painting. Here, in ‘Sunset’, we can see a remarkable visual harmony formed through separate aesthetic, painterly melodies. Abstract, geometric forms, tenderly painted but not altogether gentle in their rigorous shapes, take up the bulk of the compositional weight, set against an ebbing background of soft hues that reveal the artists hand. Above these, fit into the forms, is an intricate pattern of dots that bring a pace, and frenetic energy to the work, while a bright, single colour red sun sits at the base, a small arrow indicating its direction of travel. The work has a natural rhythm to it, each element works in harmony with the next, while retaining an individual visual feeling. Klee creates an orchestra of forms, techniques and colors and conducts them towards a piece of modernist beauty.

CARAVAGGIO

Removed from context or adornment, the viewer becomes part of an intimate exchange. There are few clues as to time or place, the garb is simple, peasant robes, the background is dark and anonymous and the lighting so artificial as to almost seem more real than reality itself. This was the genius of Caravaggio, in this, one of the most important works of the Baroque: an ability to, as he so often did, take religious stories out of antiquity and bring them fiercely into the contemporary world that even five hundred years later they feel modern. Jesus is bathed in light that makes him emerge from the oil and seem almost real as his disciples gather round. Thomas, who had doubted his faith and Christ’s return, proves his finger into the open wound in Christ’s side. It is a tangible display of flesh, and confirmation that the son of God is both man and divine. Yet, this proof materialises in the medium of the painting as well of the subject. Christ as an eternal figure, always relevant, always human, is exemplified in the rich chiaroscuro of Caravaggios brushstrokes - as Thomas’s doubting was allayed by direct contact with flesh, so too is ours by being allowed entry into this scene that feels so tangible.

PICABIA

Francis Picabia is perhaps the ultimate artist’s artist. On the fringe of nearly every major Early 20th art movement, he never quite felt at home in any. Associated at some point with Impressionism, Pointillism, Cubism, Dada and Surrealism, Picabia is most easily classified as Avant-Garde. One need not look further than Conversation II to see this. Painted in 1922, it is proto Pop Art exploring the two oppositional forces in Picabia’s life – the rigid lines represent order and mathematics while the floating bodies convey a sensual humanity he could not resist. Picabia was in a constant state of duality, existing between movements, straddling eras and ways of thinking, and he allowed this conflict to come through in his work. He lived extravagantly, earning a good living off his art and a large inheritance from his mother. He was a drifter and a dabbler, exploring his contemporary age with freedom.