“Stop and look closely at this painting. It’s a haunting image of a ghost caught mid-flight, rendered in a way that makes it feel truly spectral and elusive, inviting you to ponder what lies just beyond our sight.”
A spectral figure, rendered in a palette of muted grays and browns, hovers on the canvas, its form dissolving into the background as if caught mid-evaporation. This isn't a solid ghost but a wispy presence, a mere suggestion of a body in motion. The title, "Fleeing Ghost," perfectly captures the sense of transient energy, as if we've just glimpsed something ethereal darting away. The composition relies on subtle tonal shifts and delicate lines, creating an atmosphere that feels both otherworldly and deeply psychological. The painting’s abstract qualities, combined with its evocative title, invite viewers to consider themes of perception, absence, and the unseen forces at play in our world. Created in 1929, this work reflects the broader artistic currents of Expressionism and Surrealism, where inner states and subconscious imagery took precedence over strict realism.
- Artist
- Paul Klee
- Date
- 1929
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Location
- Art Institute of Chicago
What to Notice
Four details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.

The almost transparent quality of the ghost's body.
The way the figure seems to blend into the background.
The subtle variations in gray and brown tones.
The delicate, almost calligraphic lines defining the form.
Stand in front of it and listen
The full narration walks you through Fleeing Ghost — the story behind it, the details most visitors miss, and why it matters. Free in the Art Whisper app.
Paul Klee
1879–1940 · Kingdom of PrussiaPaul Klee was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism.
Further Works by Klee
Death in the Garden (Legend)
1919 · Art Institute of Chicago
Schoolhouse
1920 · Art Institute of Chicago
Asiatic God
1924 · Art Institute of Chicago
Still Life with Fragments
1925 · Art Institute of Chicago
Strange Glance
1930 · Art Institute of Chicago
Sunset
1930 · Art Institute of Chicago
In the Magic Mirror
1934 · Art Institute of Chicago
Women Harvesting
1937 · Art Institute of Chicago
More from Expressionism
More works to explore
Beyond Klee and Expressionism: works from the same years, and from the other movements Fleeing Ghost belongs to.
Same movement · Surrealism
The Eye
René Magritte · 1932 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1910s–1940s
Lozenge Composition with Yellow, Black, Blue, Red, and Gray
Piet Mondrian · 1921 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same movement · Surrealism
Untitled (Desert Landscape)
Salvador Dalí · 1934 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1910s–1940s
Heavy the Oar to Him Who Is Tired, Heavy the Coat, Heavy the Sea
Ivan Puni · 1929 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same movement · Surrealism
Dada Gauguin
Max Ernst · 1920 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1910s–1940s
American Gothic
Okada Saburosuke · 1930 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same movement · Surrealism
Figure with Meat
Francis Bacon · 1954 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1910s–1940s
Straße mit Passanten bei Nachtbeleuchtung
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner · 1927 · Museum Frieder Burda
Same movement · Surrealism
The Old Guitarist
Pablo Picasso · 1903 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1910s–1940s
Abstraction: Background with Blue Cloudy Sky
Pablo Picasso · 1930 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1910s–1940s
American Gothic
Grant Wood · 1930 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1910s–1940s
The Circus Rider
Marc Chagall · 1927 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1910s–1940s
Lemons on a Pewter Plate
Henri Matisse · 1926 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1910s–1940s
The Blue Forest
Max Ernst · 1925 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1910s–1940s
Two Women on the Shore
Edvard Munch · 1935 · Munch Museum
Same era · 1910s–1940s
A Chemist Lifting with Extreme Precaution the Cuticle of a Grand Piano
Salvador Dalí · 1936 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1910s–1940s
Woman at an Easel (Green Screen)
Georges Braque · 1936 · Art Institute of Chicago




