Active Matter: A Change in Perspective on Material Transformation, with Paul Klee's 'Flora on the Rock' as a Case Study

This essay reflects on the fragile materiality of Paul Klee’s work in the context of “active matter.” Through an in-depth examination of Flora am Felsen (Flora on the Rock), 1940, 343, it explores intrinsic material transformations in the context of durability, museum discourses, and current social issues. Paul Klee’s painting technique, his artistic attitude toward the materials, and his dynamic work-ing process are addressed alongside the object’s layers, their interferences, and the historicity that arises when viewing paintings. The sources analyzed span class notes by Petra Petitpierre, who studied for her master’s degree with Klee, and microscopic images of Flora on the Rock. The active, transitory quality of the materials and Klee’s implied claim to their durability create a tense balancing act. transl. by Sarah McGavran