The Calculating Old Man
1929
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1929
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This drawing shows a simple, stick-figure man with a big head and tiny body. His face has two round eyes and a small nose, while his hands clasp a bundle of wavy lines—maybe a plant or a mess of wires. The whole scene sits on a background of tiny, even horizontal lines that fill the page. The artist used only black lines on a light background, making everything look flat and geometric. The bundle in the man’s hands is the only loose, organic shape in the whole picture. Next, check out Paul Klee to see how he played with shapes and lines in other works.
