The Fantastic Drawings of Heinrich Kley

Heinrich Kley (1863-1945?) was a German painter and cartoonist who began his career by painting conventional scenes, and by illustrating for German manufacturing. His career took a decided turn in 1908. It was then that Kley began an association with the Münich magazine Die Jugend, drawing   cartoons that were both a humorous and caustic commentary on German institutions and society.

If the scene above looks familiar, it's because Walt Disney collected the work of Heinrich Kley, and was undoubtedly inspired to borrow from it for parts of the movie Fantasia.

Disney Studios drawing  |  from dmclain.com

"What a devilish stench!" Kley was intimately familiar with this aspect of industry, long before the public was concerned about pollution. Ironically, Kley's earlier paintings had been lauded for catching the "poetry" of factories.

"Smile, please!" Kley's line work reveals a drawing style that was as unerring as it was rapid.

"Clearing the Field"

"High Horsemanship"

This quick rendering of a horse reminds me of Asian calligraphy.

I saved my favorite Kley drawing, "The Finish of the Snails' Race," (below) for last.

Click to enlarge.

The date of Heinrich Kley's death is uncertain. Reports of it vary from 1945 to 1952. All these drawings come from two Dover books, The Drawings of Heinrich Kley and More Drawings by Heinrich Kley.

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Since I first published this posting, author Joe Procopio got in touch to verify Kley’s death date as February 8, 1945, and to introduce his new two-volume The Lost Art of Heinrich Kley (see the comment below). For more information on Kley and the new two-volume set about him, please go here.