A Field Guide to Getting Lost

Solnit devotes this chapter to artist and judo master Yves Klein. When she thinks of Klein—who was obsessed with the idea of levitation and the sky—she thinks of other absolutists whose principles caused them to disappear: Amelia Earhart, Arthur Craven, and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Their disappearances helped to solidify their vision of the world. Klein was born to artist parents in France in 1928, and his aunt helped fund his excursions and ambitions. He and his artist friends dabbled in the metaphysical and spiritual, and Klein claimed the sky for his subject.

Highly influenced by judo, Klein wanted to visit Japan to become a fourth dan black belt. He worked tirelessly, fueled by then-legal amphetamines, and achieved his dream. When he returned to France, he took up art once again, focusing on the color blue. The hue dominated his work, and Klein became known for monochromatic paintings that featured a pigment of his own making which he titled “International Klein Blue.”

Klein’s obsession with the sky continued throughout his life. A 1960 photograph called The Leap into the Void shows Klein jumping from a building. The picture became famous, and Klein walked with a limp as a result of his jump for the rest of his life.