Howling Dog

Paul Klee

1928

Oil on canvas

Minneapolis Institute of Art

An abstract composition features swirling lines and organic shapes in muted colors. A circular form resembling a sun or moon is visible in the upper right. An abstract composition features swirling lines and organic shapes in muted colors. A circular form resembling a sun or moon is visible in the upper right. Klee's playful depiction of a solitary dog baying at a radiant moon exemplifies the artist's reliance on a linear style of representation. Using a series of sinuous lines, Klee creates a harmonious arrangement of three distinct forms: a dog, the moon, and in an unusual but charming visualization of sound, the dog's extended howl. Placed at the center of an amorphous ground of swirling colors, the dog's howl assumes a dominant pictorial role, winding, bending on itself, hanging in