“Insula Dulcamara”, painted by Paul Klee in 1938, is one of the most significant works of his late period, created while he was battling scleroderma. Held at the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern, the work reflects the fragility of the body through a dense and experimental visual language. The support – newspaper on jute canvas – alludes to the passing of time, with printed texts emerging beneath the colour like traces of memory.
The mixed technique of collage, graffito and painting, on a gesso ground, gives rise to tactile, textured surfaces. The ship, recurrent in Klee’s final works, suggests an inner journey or a farewell. A testament work, Insula Dulcamara interweaves autobiography and myth, showing how suffering can be transformed into a poetics of resistance.
Unique quality material
Print on handmade Amalfi paper Sheet size: 29 x 42 cm (11.4 x 16.5 in) With frame: 31 x 44 cm (12.2 x 17.3 in) Material: artwork printed on very fine handmade Amalfi paper with deckled edges Frame: light brown beech wood and wood pulp, handmade
How an Amalfi art print is made, what the frame is like, what museum glass is, how long shipping takes, and how returns work: we’ve gathered all the answers on a single page.
