Klee experienced a final breakthrough at the end of the 1930s, following a profound turning point in his life and work—firstly, his emigration from Germany, and secondly, a serious illness. His output plummeted to a low point in 1936 before he began a gradual recovery the following year, reaching the highest annual output of his entire artistic career in 1939. The group of pastels represents, to a certain extent, new technical territory, as Klee had rarely used colored pastels before, and they surprise with their vibrant colors. Above all, however, they foreshadowed a new visual language—an alphabet of zigzags, angles, and curves. All the elements interlock, creating a uniform tapestry in which even the main figure only gradually emerges. The pale torso with its button placket comes into focus, while the face, with its shadowed eye, recedes, as if it wishes to remain unrecognized.