Arts: A-Z of Paul Klee The artist who defined drawing as `taking a line for a walk' is a central figure in the creative history of the 20th century. As a major exhibition opens at London's Hayward Gallery, Kevin Jackson examines the life and work of Paul Klee

A is for abstraction

"The more fearful the world becomes, the more art becomes abstract" - Paul Klee, 1915.

B is for Bern

Klee was born in the Swiss capital on 18 December 1879. As his father, Hans Klee, was German, Paul retained German citizenship throughout his life. Though he was to travel widely in Europe, America and North Africa, Bern was Klee's home throughout the years of his education, early career and final illness (1936-1940). He attended the Literaturschule Bern from 1886-98, where he cultivated a lifelong interest in, among other subjects, French…