Love Song by the New Moon, 1939, Klee foundation, Bern Paul Klee (1879-1940)

The composition presents a vertical arrangement of abstracted forms against a muted grey-brown background. The palette is restrained, dominated by earthy tones punctuated with areas of blue, yellow, and touches of green. A sense of layering is immediately apparent; the artist employed a technique that suggests multiple planes of existence or perception.
At the apex of the canvas, two circular shapes are positioned – one dark blue, the other a lighter shade – appearing as if suspended in space. Below this, a figure emerges, rendered with simplified features and an elongated neck. The face is characterized by large, downcast eyes and a small mouth, conveying a sense of melancholy or introspection. This central figure seems to be seated upon a curvilinear form that dominates the middle ground. It resembles a stylized landscape feature – perhaps a hill or wave – and its surface is textured with subtle variations in tone.
Further below, another amorphous shape occupies the lower portion of the canvas. Its contours are less defined than those above, and it blends more seamlessly into the background. A small yellow form, suggestive of a hand or stylized plant, appears to the left of this lower shape. Scattered throughout the composition are smaller, irregularly shaped patches of color – blue, green, and yellow – that contribute to the overall sense of visual complexity.
The artist’s use of line is deliberate; outlines are often blurred or broken, contributing to a dreamlike quality. The forms do not appear to be grounded in a specific reality but rather exist within an ambiguous space. This ambiguity invites multiple interpretations. One might perceive a narrative – perhaps a lament or a yearning – expressed through the arrangement of these symbolic shapes. Alternatively, the work could be understood as an exploration of psychological states, with the figures representing internal struggles or emotional landscapes. The muted color scheme and simplified forms evoke a sense of quiet contemplation, suggesting that the artist is less concerned with depicting external reality than with conveying inner experience.