This paper shall deconstruct Paul Klee’s German Expressionist painting, Angelus Novus (1920), with the objective of contextualizing a modality of balance aesthetic. The process shall then analyse the Pedagogical Sketchbook (1925), transcribed by Paul Klee in 1918, to critically examine a content of pedagogical homeostatic practice methodology, and focus on a diagrammatic construct within the book, Building a Tower (1918). The attention on an analysis of this diagrammatic has the objective of identifying it as a pedagogical homeostasis model, and to evidence this model informing a modality of balance aesthetic for his later painting, Angelus Novus. Paul Klee’s pre-1918 practice is then assessed to distinguish trauma related poiesis, in consideration that psychological imbalance may have triggered instigation of homeostatic methodology within Pedagogical Sketchbook. Paul Klee’s painting after Building a Tower, shall then be deconstructed as a methodology of considering its practice influence. An overlaying technique will then be used to reinforce this theory of framework connectivity. As a Der Blaue Reiter artist, Paul Klee’s art was attributed new significance of ‘Entartete Kunst', in 1937 by Adolf Hitler. In this paper, the act of attributing new significance shall be referred to as ‘revalorization’.
The scholarly theses, Theses on the Philosophy of History (1939), by Walter Benjamin contains the stanza Theses IX, in which Angelus Novus is renamed as the, Angel of History. Within this paper, the act of renaming of Angelus Novus, requisitioned with its form redirected shall be termed as ‘appropriation.’ The configuration of Theses IX, is inconsistent in both style and structure of main body of the theses. The method of deconstructive critical assessment will be applied to both the variance within the scholarly paper, and the physical form -versus the descriptive text of the appropriated form of Angelus Novus. Assessment of discrepancies will be considered to determine fixity in Walter Benjamin’s ability to mediate and communicate rationally. Reflection contextualizing homeostatic disequilibrium, as causation for variance of subjectivity and state of mind, at the time of writing Theses IX are investigated.
The conclusion considers the homeostatic ontology, subsequent appropriation and revalorization of Angelus Novus, and the outcome intends to present a unique critical theory informing how the artwork should now be viewed.
Table of Contents
1. Introducing the Angel(s).
1.1 Angelus Novus.
1.2 The Angel of History.
1.3 Critical discrepancies within Walter Benjamin’s Theses IX,
1.4 Homeostatic theory as proposed by Claude Bernard,
1.5 Indication of homeostatic theory migrating into literature,
1.6 Homeostasis within the methodology of Paul Klee’s Pedagogical Sketchbook.
1.7 Critical review of trauma marked poesies in Paul Klee’s pre-1918 painting.
1.8 The influence of homeostatic methodology within the Pedagogical Sketchbook,
1.9 The balance model within the framework of Angelus Novus.
1.10 Walter Benjamin’s appropriation of Angelus Novus appears in, Theses on the Philosophy of History,
1.11 Walter Benjamin’s traumatic experience within a volatile period in history.
1.12 Revalorization of the appropriated angel
1.13 The duality discourse in context to Angelus Novus,
2. Conclusion.
2.1 The Angel and the Artist.
2.2 The Keys to the Tower.
2.3 The Appropriated Angel of the Historian.
2.4 The Philosophical Revalorization from Art to Artefact.
2.5 In View of the Angel.
Research Objectives and Core Themes
The dissertation aims to deconstruct Paul Klee’s painting Angelus Novus (1920) through the lens of homeostatic theory, exploring how the artist's pedagogical methodology and personal experience of trauma inform the work's "balance aesthetic," and subsequently analyzing how Walter Benjamin appropriated and revalorized this image within his Theses on the Philosophy of History.
- The application of homeostatic theory to creative aesthetics and visual art.
- Analysis of Paul Klee’s Pedagogical Sketchbook as a model for balance and trauma management.
- Investigation of Walter Benjamin’s conceptual appropriation of the painting as the "Angel of History."
- The revalorization of artwork from a static image to a vessel of historical and personal suffering.
Excerpt from the Book
Angelus Novus.
Paul Klee painted Angelus Novus (New Angel), in 1920 using an oil transfer technique on watercolour paper. This method, one he developed, involves covering tracing paper with oil paint, then introducing drawing paper beneath, marking the inked paper with a drawing implement which then comes through to the underlying page. The figurative painting is not of a classical angel of divinity, but takes the form of an unheroic mythical hybrid, both human and avian. The gaze appears empathic, as opposed to judgmental, and the beguiling genderless figure is simultaneously ugly and beautiful. It has an oversized head, a human gaze, and exaggerated lips that expose eight teeth instead of a beak. The hair forms wild curls like musical turns, the arms and hands take the form of wings and claws- the feet like a bird’s, have four toes. It wears geometric apparel, embellished with a necklace. Although quite small, 31.8 x 24.2 cm, and of muted colours, it maintains a spiritual presence centrally located within the clouded, but otherwise empty frame.
Summary of Chapters
Introducing the Angel(s): This chapter introduces Paul Klee's Angelus Novus, establishes the central premise of homeostatic theory in art, and outlines the appropriation of the image by Walter Benjamin.
Conclusion: The conclusion synthesizes the findings, confirming the connection between Klee’s pedagogical models, his personal trauma, and the subsequent philosophical revalorization of the painting by Benjamin and Adorno.
Keywords
Paul Klee, Angelus Novus, Walter Benjamin, Homeostasis, Balance Aesthetic, Pedagogical Sketchbook, Appropriation, Revalorization, Theses on the Philosophy of History, Trauma, Art History, Theodor Adorno, Expressionism, Aesthetics, Philosophy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this dissertation?
The work examines the artistic and philosophical trajectory of Paul Klee’s painting Angelus Novus, specifically how it relates to homeostatic concepts and its later appropriation by Walter Benjamin.
What are the central thematic fields?
The research intersects art history, psychology (homeostasis), trauma studies, and philosophy, focusing on the works of Paul Klee, Walter Benjamin, and Theodor Adorno.
What is the primary research goal?
The primary goal is to establish a critical theory that links Klee's "balance aesthetic" in his pedagogical work to his later painting and to analyze the "revalorization" of this art when repurposed in historical and political discourse.
Which scientific methodology is utilized?
The author employs a deconstructive methodology, analyzing visual evidence alongside textual sources, and applies biological homeostatic theory as a framework for interpreting artistic process and psychological state.
What does the main body address?
It covers Klee’s Pedagogical Sketchbook, a critical review of his pre-1918 trauma-marked paintings, the technical comparison between his diagrammatic "Building a Tower" and Angelus Novus, and Benjamin’s historical reinterpretation of the angel.
What characterize this work?
It is characterized by an interdisciplinary approach that bridges the gap between scientific theory, historical context, and formal aesthetic analysis of Expressionist art.
How does the author connect Klee’s trauma to his art?
The author links Klee’s experiences during the Great War and the loss of his son to a search for balance, suggesting that his artistic techniques became a mechanism for managing and correcting psychological disequilibrium.
What is the significance of the "Building a Tower" diagram?
The diagram is identified as a pedagogical homeostasis model, which the author argues provides the structural and conceptual framework for the balance seen in Angelus Novus.
Why does the author use the term "revalorization"?
The term is used to describe the process by which an artwork's meaning is transformed, shifting from its initial intent as a creative aesthetic exercise to serving as an artifact of historical and transcendental suffering.
How does Walter Benjamin's Theses IX impact the painting's reception?
Benjamin’s text renames the painting the "Angel of History," fundamentally shifting its identity from a personal work by Klee to a symbolic vessel for historical catastrophe and trauma.
- Quote paper
- Julie Kim Rossiter (Author), 2017, Appropriating the Angel. Paul Klee’s "Angelus Novus" (1920), Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/377801
