Description
Omega 5 (Traps) is a painting by Paul Klee from 1927: on a deep wine-red ground hang three pale objects, drawn in fine lines like spun thread, a large drop with a spiral, a small square on a hook that looks like a kite, and a gourd-like shape with two spirals. The original measures 57.3 x 43 cm and belongs to the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid. One of our painters makes it for you by hand on canvas, in oil or acrylic, in 8 upright sizes from 30 x 40 to 156 x 200 cm or made to measure. A photograph of the finished piece reaches you before we ship it.
| Title: | Omega 5 (Traps) |
| Other titles: | Omega 5 (Fallen) (German title) · Omega 5 (Trappole) (Italian title) |
| Painter: | Paul Klee (1879–1940) |
| Year painted: | 1927 |
| Original size: | 57.3 cm x 43 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | Mixed media |
| Painting style: | Modernism |
| Located at: | Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, Spain |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted in oil or acrylic on canvas, 8 sizes or made to measure |
Omega 5 (Traps) – Paul Klee
What does Omega 5 (Traps) show?
Most of the surface is taken up by a dark, wine-red mass that rises into two points at the top. Darker vertical bands run through it, in places almost black. Along the left and right edges and at the top a lighter ochre ground shows through, and on it Klee drew rows of tiny zigzags, little crosses, arcs and short strokes, as if it were covered in an unknown script.
Three pale objects hang on the red field. On the left is a large drop shape: at the top it narrows into a curved stalk like a horn, at the bottom it swells into a round body with a pink spiral winding over it. At the upper right, a small square full of nested squares hangs on thin threads from a cylindrical hook, much like a child’s kite.
At the lower right stands the third object, a gourd-like form with a short neck, a narrow lid and two spirals on its broad base. All three are drawn in dense, fine lines, as if someone had woven or spun them, so they look light and taut at the same time.
What does the title Omega 5 (Traps) tell us?
The title has two parts. Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet, and the word in brackets is traps. Klee left no explanation, so we give the title no meaning beyond what its own words say.
With the title in mind, the pale forms hang like snares or lures in a dark space: they seem calm, yet the word traps casts them in another light.
The work dates from 1927, the years when Klee taught at the Bauhaus. He worked there from January 1921 to April 1931, alongside Wassily Kandinsky.
Why does this painting hold the eye?
The colour acts first: a deep red that seems to glow from within, with pale, almost translucent objects in front of it. Up close, fine scratches and rows of signs appear along the edges.
Klee was a Swiss-born German artist, the son of a German music teacher and a Swiss singer. He played the violin from childhood, in an orchestra too, and the poet Rilke wrote that his drawings seemed like transcriptions of music.
This painting has no Wikipedia article of its own; the painter himself has a full Wikipedia article on Paul Klee, written in English.
Where is the original, and what do we know about the painter?
The original belongs to the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, where it carries inventory number 623 (1976.8). It measures 57.3 x 43 cm (height x width).
It is a painting on a dark red ground with a slightly rough surface into which fine lines are scratched.
Münchenbuchsee near Bern is where he was born, in 1879. In 1911 and 1912 he belonged to the Blaue Reiter circle around Kandinsky and Franz Marc, and a trip to Tunisia in 1914 with August Macke and Louis Moilliet became his breakthrough in colour.
From 1931 to 1933, after leaving the Bauhaus, he held a teaching post at the Düsseldorf Academy. In 1937 the Nazi exhibition of so-called degenerate art included seventeen of his pictures, and 102 of his works were seized from public collections. He died in 1940, leaving more than 9,000 works.
Omega 5 (Traps) or another Klee?
Omega 5 (Traps) is a canvas painting for anyone who likes dark, warm colours and a mystery that does not give itself away at once.
If Klee’s playful figures draw you more, look at Little Jester in a Trance or Dance of the Moth. If you prefer arches and buildings, Revolution of the Viaduct is your subject, and lovers of small drawn signs will find theirs in Arrow in the Garden.
Our Paul Klee page gathers the famous Paul Klee paintings our painters make to order.
How do we hand-paint Omega 5 (Traps) on canvas?
The original is a painting on a dark red ground, 57.3 x 43 cm. Ours is not a print but an oil painting reproduction on canvas, made in oil or acrylic: the painter works it in the size you choose, layer by layer, so it hangs on your wall like any other painted work.
He first lays the red ground in several coats, from lighter tones to near black, so that it gains depth and its darker vertical bands. Then he adds the ochre edges and draws their rows of signs with a fine brush.
Last come the three pale objects, built of fine parallel lines; their spirals and nested squares need a steady hand.
Which size suits which wall?
In short: 30 x 40 or 40 x 51 cm for a shelf or a narrow wall, 51 x 67 and 58 x 75 cm above a chest of drawers or a bedside table, 73 x 100 cm above a sofa, and 91 x 127, 120 x 160 or 156 x 200 cm for a tall wall that needs a strong accent.
We paint the work in 8 upright sizes (width x height): 30 x 40, 40 x 51, 51 x 67, 58 x 75, 73 x 100, 91 x 127, 120 x 160 and 156 x 200 cm. The original measures 43 x 57.3 cm (width x height): the two smallest sizes are smaller than it, every size from 51 x 67 cm up enlarges it, and the largest is about three and a half times its height.
As a painting for the living room it looks best at 91 x 127 or 120 x 160 cm, where the dark red brings warmth and depth into the room.
Can I have a different size or a frame?
Of course. If you need other proportions, we keep all three objects whole and widen or narrow only the red ground and the ochre edges. Tell us the size you have in mind and we will quote a price and a delivery time for this red painting.
Omega 5 travels to you rolled, stretched on a stretcher bar or already framed. Our Slovenian workshop handles the stretching and the framing. The moulding is chosen in our 3D app, which handles frame choice only; a view of the painting on your own wall is a separate service.
A dark wood frame or a narrow gold moulding that picks up the ochre of the edges suits the deep red.
When will the painting arrive?
Once your order is confirmed, the painter begins, and Omega 5 is ready to ship within 15 to 45 working days. Before it leaves we send you a photograph of the finished painting, and if you want anything changed, we change it.
Within Slovenia and the rest of the European Union it travels without customs duties, and every order is covered by our returns policy.
It suits anyone who loves modern art or a good puzzle. Not sure which size their wall can take? A wall art voucher lets them decide.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the original hang?
At the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, under inventory number 623 (1976.8).
What is in the picture?
Three pale objects made of fine lines, a drop with a spiral, a square on a hook and a gourd, on a dark red ground.
Will I get a print?
No. Each one is a hand-painted copy that our painter works with brushes on canvas, in oil or acrylic.
How large is the original?
It measures 57.3 x 43 cm (height x width); our sizes go up to 156 x 200 cm.
Can I order a size that is not listed?
Yes. Give us the width and height, and we will quote for this painting in that size.
How long is the wait?
It takes 15 to 45 working days, and a photograph of the finished painting reaches you before it ships.
Does it suit a bedroom or a living room?
Yes. The warm dark red calms a room, above a sofa or above a bed.
What does the word omega in the title mean?
Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet; the second part of the title is traps, and Klee left no explanation.
- Subject: three pale objects of fine lines hanging on a deep wine-red ground with ochre edges.
- Original: a painting on a dark red ground, 1927, 57.3 x 43 cm, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid.
- Ours: a Paul Klee reproduction painted by hand in oil or acrylic on canvas, its red ground built up in coats; 8 sizes from 30 x 40 to 156 x 200 cm, or made to measure.
- Worth knowing: Klee made it during his Bauhaus years; omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet.
