Scleroderma Information » Scleroderma » A window into Paul Klee's final years
Question:
On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 09:23:40 -0400, Nell <mildredskidnospam_at…@comcast.net> wrote: >And yet his paintings stayed bright. Many an artist would have felt >such gloom, the scleroderma being the shot that got him. But "While >artists’ skills often diminish as they age, Klee’s grew stronger. "In >a purely visual sense, he was still full of creativity" until the end >of his life, Rewald said" >He didn’t let the political or his physical circumstances stop him. >Nell
How well I can relate to that. While having CREST has done a number on my ability to play trumpet and fashion stained glass. One ability it can not tamper with is my ability to teach both these disciplines. It’s a matter of accepting and dealing with CREST and making do with what I have that helped to prevent my spirit from shattering. I loved being on the bandstand and I loved being able to cut glass for hours on end. But since I can’t do either for any great length of time I’ll be happy with what I can do and make up the shortfall by passing on my knowledge. That way, part of me will still exist thru my students learned skills. I recently saw an episode on MASH about a soldier whose hand was severely injured. Prior to the war, he was a concert pianist. Naturally, he was devastated by the apparent fact that his piano playing days are over. However, Dr. Charles Emerson Winchester convinced him otherwise when he obtained some piano works written to be played with only the left hand. While we never will know the soldier’s fate afterwards, the story did make a point. That point being that not all is never totally lost. Like they say, when God closes one door, He opens another. If you make the effort to seek it, you’ll find it. BOB – In GOD We Trust
Response:
"Hounded by the Nazis, Klee took refuge in 1933 in Bern, Switzerland. His works in German museums were confiscated, his livelihood disrupted and he was diagnosed in 1936 with incurable scleroderma, a chronic autoimmune disease." http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/04/02/klee.exhibit.ap…
Response:
What a wonderful attitude. And I imagine it didn’t come about overnight. I haven’t seen that episode of MASH in years but I know the one you’re talking about. It’s one that’s not easy to forget. Thanks 
Nell On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 13:52:21 GMT, Robert DeSavage – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -<beaglebob6…@comcast.ten> wrote: >On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 09:23:40 -0400, Nell ><mildredskidnospam_at…@comcast.net> wrote: >>And yet his paintings stayed bright. Many an artist would have felt >>such gloom, the scleroderma being the shot that got him. But "While >>artists’ skills often diminish as they age, Klee’s grew stronger. "In >>a purely visual sense, he was still full of creativity" until the end >>of his life, Rewald said" >>He didn’t let the political or his physical circumstances stop him. >>Nell >How well I can relate to that. While having CREST has done a number on >my ability to play trumpet and fashion stained glass. One ability it >can not tamper with is my ability to teach both these disciplines. >It’s a matter of accepting and dealing with CREST and making do with >what I have that helped to prevent my spirit from shattering. I loved >being on the bandstand and I loved being able to cut glass for hours >on end. But since I can’t do either for any great length of time I’ll >be happy with what I can do and make up the shortfall by passing on my >knowledge. That way, part of me will still exist thru my students >learned skills. >I recently saw an episode on MASH about a soldier whose hand was >severely injured. Prior to the war, he was a concert pianist. >Naturally, he was devastated by the apparent fact that his piano >playing days are over. However, Dr. Charles Emerson Winchester >convinced him otherwise when he obtained some piano works written to >be played with only the left hand. While we never will know the >soldier’s fate afterwards, the story did make a point. That point >being that not all is never totally lost. Like they say, when God >closes one door, He opens another. If you make the effort to seek it, >you’ll find it. >BOB >- >In GOD We Trust
Response:
There is a tendency in his older works to deal with harsher issues, like death and war, and to be of simpler construction, but who’s to say if it was from being ill, or just the direction his art took naturally with age and the political deterioration in Europe? I think what’s most amazing is that after diagnosis, there was a dip in productivity, and then he poured out the works more than ever before, despite what we know he had to be suffering, well before any Prilosec, calcium channel blockers, and NSAIDs. Dr Varga, Dr Dotz, and Caroline Keller have a great article from the SF "Scleroderma Voice" 2001, issue 4 that poses the likelihood that he suffered from pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension because of information that he had shortness of breath and fatigue on even minor exertion. He apparently coudn’t let his body interfere with the things his art had to say! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Nell wrote: >And yet his paintings stayed bright. Many an artist would have felt >such gloom, the scleroderma being the shot that got him. But "While >artists’ skills often diminish as they age, Klee’s grew stronger. "In >a purely visual sense, he was still full of creativity" until the end >of his life, Rewald said" >He didn’t let the political or his physical circumstances stop him. >Nell >On Thu, 15 Apr 2004 09:24:11 -0400, Amelia Yaussy ><am…@blackmule.com> wrote: >>"Hounded by the Nazis, Klee took refuge in 1933 in Bern, Switzerland. >>His works in German museums were confiscated, his livelihood disrupted >>and he was diagnosed in 1936 with incurable scleroderma, a chronic >>autoimmune disease." >>http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/04/02/klee.exhibit.ap…
Response:
On Thu, 22 Apr 2004 18:30:55 -0400, Nell <mildredskidnospam_at…@comcast.net> wrote: >What a wonderful attitude. And I imagine it didn’t come about >overnight. >I haven’t seen that episode of MASH in years but I know the one you’re >talking about. It’s one that’s not easy to forget. >Thanks >Nell
It can be an emotional tug of war where it’s easy to be pulled to the negative side. I have days when I’m despondent where I think of myself being a ‘has been’. What pulls me back to the positive is the notion that it’s better to be a has been than a never been. – In GOD We Trust
Response:
And yet his paintings stayed bright. Many an artist would have felt such gloom, the scleroderma being the shot that got him. But "While artists’ skills often diminish as they age, Klee’s grew stronger. "In a purely visual sense, he was still full of creativity" until the end of his life, Rewald said" He didn’t let the political or his physical circumstances stop him. Nell On Thu, 15 Apr 2004 09:24:11 -0400, Amelia Yaussy – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -<am…@blackmule.com> wrote: >"Hounded by the Nazis, Klee took refuge in 1933 in Bern, Switzerland. >His works in German museums were confiscated, his livelihood disrupted >and he was diagnosed in 1936 with incurable scleroderma, a chronic >autoimmune disease." >http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/04/02/klee.exhibit.ap…
no comment untill now