That is the significance of this blessed moment. Color and I are one," Klee said (cited by Pioch). With this revelation and the expressionist approach Klee learned under Blue Rider tutelage, Klee developed his signature style. After the First World War, both Klee and his friend and fellow expressionist Kandinsky taught at the Bauhaus School in Berlin. Klee taught at the Bauhaus School from 1921-1931. After that, Klee taught in Dusseldorf but was persecuted by the Nazis because of his work (Pioch). He moved back to Switzerland in 1933 and died there in 1940 from a disease called scleroderma. The Bauhaus School represented a conceptual shift in art, as it celebrated design and craftsmanship as well as philosophical themes. The impact of Bauhaus on the history of art is especially evident in some of Klee's work. However, "Twittering Machine" exemplifies the core elements of both Blue Rider and Bauhaus. From Blue Rider and his experiences in Africa, Klee incorporates playful colors and abstract ideas: shapes, forms, and colors are the key elements of the painting. From Bauhaus Klee developed strong affection for the interface between technology and humanity as well as between technology and nature. Klee also addresses the idea of communication in a conceptual and symbolic way.

The Bauhaus School developed a "positive, communal approach to the problems of the industrial machine age, but what he offered...

In "Twittering Machine" Klee accomplishes the goal of uniting the distinct impulses of nature and the human mind. Technology is not evil or sinister for Paul Klee. Rather, technology is an aspiration. The stick figure reaching for the birds on the wire suggests the human quest for freedom, symbolized by the wings and the motif of the bird. However, the stick figure also longs to be a part of the social life that the birds represent.
Bauhaus art was optimistic, reflecting the drive for a collective solution to global problems through art, design, and technology. The rectangular plane upon which the stick figure stands offers a visual and metaphoric grounding. Similarly, the birds on the wire are gobbling food, and the overall impact of the composition is active, engaging, and cheerful.

Works Cited

Bauhaus-Arhiv Museum of Design. "Paul Klee's Elemental Design Theory 1921-1931." Retrieved April 28, 2009 from http://www.bauhaus.de/english/bauhaus1919/unterricht/unterricht_klee.htm

"Klee-Twittering Machine." Retrieved April 28, 2009 from http://www.csulb.edu/~karenk/20thcwebsite/438final/ah438fin-Info.00033.html

Pioch, Nicolas. "Klee, Paul." WebMuseum, Paris. Retrieved April 28, 2009 from http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/klee/