Tyler Green has been making links to tweets about people's favorite small paintings, here, here and here.

Though I don't have a favorite small painting per se, I do have a favorite small scale painter, Paul Klee. He's ultra influential these days with his lyrical pre-minimalist and fairytale theatrics, which relate to artists like Chris Johanson, Mark Grotjahn and Tomma Abts etc. Even architects like Steven Holl with his perforations, Rem Koolhaas's irrationally rationalized materials, Zaha Hadid's fugal curves and Herzog & de Meuron etc. They all owe him a great deal and I think his effect on the Bauhaus hasn't been fully explored.


detail Clarification, Paul Klee (1932) Berggruen Collection at the Metropolitan Museum

Right now I currently have a crush on Klee's Clarification, 1932 from the Berggruen collection at the Met. In its own absurdist way it doesn't clarify anything other than a feeling of intense present-ness.


Even this view showing a Brancusi in the reflection at the met is pretty devastating. This painting has poise, grace and poetry with a little unfussy roughness to keep it honest.


Even this detail shows how Agnes Martin and Richard Tuttle learned a thing of 2 from Klee.