A line from Klee

Abstract

The oft-repeated, and mis-repeated, phrase on drawing of Paul Klee, – ‘where a line goes out for a stroll’ – provides an insight into the central tensions and tenets of the line's emergence in Modernism as a singular element. Klee's statement historically marks a point where the line is no longer in the service of the description of the observable, and is not put to instrumental purpose. Instead a free, investigative, indeterminate space of play focused on a singularity of presence is articulated that reflects a rich history of thinking on the line. Here the line holds an indeterminate, intermediary status as thing, imbued with presence.

Keywords:

• line
• drawing
• Klee
• Modernism
• presence
• play

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Andrew Hewish is a contemporary artist living and working in London, having graduated BA (hons)/MIntS (U.Syd.), MFA (COFA) and M.Res (London Consortium). In 2004 he founded and is the Director of the Centre for Recent Drawing (C4RD), London's non-profit museum space for the exploration and discussion of current drawing practice and research. He is the editor of Documents for Recent Drawing, co-editor of Tracey drawing journal, and lectures in studio practice and co-leads the Inter-Act art/architecture project at the Cass, School of Art, Media and Design, London Metropolitan University, and visits at other institutions in the UK. He is Convenor of the Line Studies Forum, (Royal College of Art (RCA), C4RD, Kings College London and Westminster). He is currently reading for his PhD at the RCA, sat as a part of the international jury of FID, and his work recently featured in FUKT drawing journal.