"Art does not reproduce what is visible. It transforms what isn't always evident."
This phrase by Paul Klee encapsulates part of his poetics and translates aesthetically in the style of graffiti the artist employs in the painting 'Fish Magic' of 1925.
The surface of the painting is dark, an unformed background, as it was before the explosion and creation of life, which was the big bang: In the beginning was darkness. The darkness is the product of the unconscious, hidden beneath the facade of things and of us, difficult to detect and comprehend, and appears to be a mystery. Being aware of our unconscious, just like the mysteries of life is a difficult, but not impossible task and a gruelling task that not all of us are prepared to undertake. Mirror or mirror on the wall What are the elements of my whole?
The light of the moon shines in the darkness
Klee's magic fish cannot claim to be true, but only light that illuminates darkness. They live in the dark, and are creatures of the subconscious. The artist is able to scratch into the surface of unconscious as well as the canvas beneath lie hidden but vivid figures, plants, colours and shapes. The meaning of this technical process is vital and healing, showing that, deep in the depths of the sea and the darkness of darkness, there are tiny shimmering creatures that stir the waters and follow the currents. Fish are dreams, stories and tales, flashes of ideas and dreams that emerge from the darkness. They are games that slumber in the chaos of the world, they are colourful, childlike fantasies, impulses that, whether consciously or not, guide people's dreams and actions.
Rare and precious fish
Are these fishes true or not? Are they esoteric and exotic life forms?
The essence of these signs is that fish do not believe in their existence; their existence is not
is determined by the external approval. fish magic think that we can see and control all things, that we have the full picture of things however, deep in the ocean, in the unconscious , and the past years of existence, there are the essences and the coincidences that we are unaware: unseen fish as well as rare and precious creatures. You believe that you are aware of everything about who you are but you forget that there is, in the most hidden and inseparable portion of you, a fish that is wags its tail and, even though it is hidden in a place unreachable by the intellect the fish releases visceral thoughts and jelly. Then, you forget that distant dream, remained as a child and encased in a bubblethat was nothing more than a bowl of a fish and it is there, a viper of a fish which turns and turns within the sphere. It now it shows its teeth; you perceive only its glistening, unformed form because you have pulled off the shutter and you are in a dark space.
Accustoming to the senses
When everything is dark and silent, however, it is easier to detect light, sense movements, hear the sound of rustling; you just have to adapt your senses to the darkness. It takes a while and can be a bit annoying at first because you have the impression that you are blind. However, once you get familiar with it, you will be able to overcome the darkness, you can even feed off the darkness. Bubbles glisten, scales sparkle in transparent ways, but nothing really is transparent, but it all seems to be complete, a precise picture that can be scratched a little more, still so long as you're alive and want to get to know ourselves a bit more.
Watching them swim
What should we do with the fish? Should we fish them and bring them to the surface, or let them remain at sea? Isn't it crucial to preserve their wildness and strangeness and not force them into aquariums with sunlit lights by the sun or serve them as the main course during the lunch of logic. Precisely in their nature irrational, ugly and abnormal nature lies their power , and the ability to understand our own essence. Fish must be observed by allowing ourselves to be hypnotised by their regular and endless swimming. This is a meditation, a continuous repetition that allows you to find out more about them every turn. We have to observe the flashes that flash across the screen and quickly disappear because they are intermittent lights which briefly light up the dark parts of us. They can be used to see deep into the darkness of our being.
Ocean currents
The fish are not immobile and can swim from you to me and vice versa; they have discovered a collective stream that roughly runs everyone through and connects common ideas and beliefs. The fish know you but do not evaluate you, and thus don't want borders to limit them. Darkness is their home but they're not afraid of sometimes being caught and having their essence shine out like a flash of lightning, or eureka, like a ray of energy that travels up the spine and explodes in the brain. It's like the electric flow of the current that swims across the wires of light. Fish are just like that, swimming, bobbing and bouncing in their flow The vast ocean is their home and they're not scared of the lack of walls or limits. In fact, it is in the sphericity of the world that they can enjoy the feeling of being there today and not tomorrow, of being able to wander eternally, aware that they will always return since in the waters of the unconscious the journey is circular.