Incollect Magazine - Issue 12

JENNESS CORTEZ Homage to Paul Klee (1879-1940) Studio Gallery near Lenox & Saratoga by Appointment Jenness@JennessCortez.com • JennessCortez.com • Averill Park, NY • (518) 674-8711 “On Sundae” © by Jenness Cortez, acrylic on a 20” by 16” mahogany panel Paul Klee was both visual artist and musician, and consistently addressed color in his paintings in much the same way musicians relate to sound. In his painting “Senecio,” for example, he limits himself to the color range found in the various flowers produced by the botanical family bearing the Latin name “Senecio.” He arranges these colors very much as if they are musical notes, and assigns geometrical shapes to them playfully, creating this lighthearted, slightly unsettling asymmetrical portrait, now in the Kunstmuseum, Basel. The resulting off-kilter facial expression, coupled with Klee’s unexpected senecio color scheme, has always reminded me of the disorienting effects of too much sugar and caffeine – items that seemed the perfect still life elements to accompany his endearing painting. – Jenness Cortez