“That is the meaning of this happy hour: color and I are one. I am a painter.” This is how Paul Klee euphorically summed up his impressions of the famous journey toTunisia he took in 1914 with August Macke and Louis Moilliet. It was a turning point in his work as an artist: decades later, he was still producing paintings inspired by the incomparable impressions of northern Africa.Starting with Klee’s fascination, this volume provides a sweeping view of the relationship between the Occident and the Orient and their rich cultural and art histories. A contribution on Islamic art constitutes the initial focus. The book examines the enthusiasm of artists from early modern times for all things oriental as well as the tradition of artist’s journeys—from Eugène Delacroix to Henri Matisse. The question of how Klee’s ideas fit into this reception of the Orient is also examined. The fact that the relatively new medium of photography also made a considerable contribution to the image of the Orient during this period is documented in a critical approach to the phenomenon. (French edition ISBN 978-3-7757-2361-9) Exhibition schedule: Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern, Auf der Suche nach dem Orient. Von Bellini bis Klee, February 7–May 24, 2009, and Paul Klee: Teppich der Erinnerung, May 30–August 30, 2009