An Exhibit

A last thought about the Bardo Museum, which has inspired drawings in my sketchbooks. Last December, the Bardo held an exhibit of the artwork from Paul Klee, and Ausguste Macke, and Louis Moilliet's 1914 trip to Tunisia.  

Because cameras were not allowed, I sketched. I was surprised at the poor quality of paper they used when sketching. It looked like newsprint and was yellowed and very fragile.

This exercise helped me to closely examine the styles of Macke and Moilliet. Macke structured his sketches more carefully, while Moilliet had a freer hand.

And why was this trip so important? For Klee, this trip changed his entire way of seeing; it was a breakthrough. The white buildings and especially the bright light forced him to re-evaluate color and form.

Besides the fact that Klee visited Tunisia and experienced the bright light that has affected my work as well, he interests me because of his use of color and his geometric shapes that vaguely resemble patchwork. So I did a layout of his work (blatant copying).

Klee, Macke, and Moilliet visited Kairouan, which is famous for its rugs. Klee's drawing in the upper left was inspired by the designs of those rugs, however, it is actually an abstracted house with a window and steps to the roof. The watercolor is from his study of Kairouan. 

I had to throw in Klee's sketch of a man because of its interesting lines and proportions. He seemed to fit right in.

All in all, a most enjoyable artistic and intellectual excursion.