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Accent in Pink
– At this point Kandinsky had evolved to doing pure abstraction, very different to his earlier works
– Kandinsky was teaching at the Bauhaus at the time of this paintingSelect optionsQuick View -
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Black Spot, 1912
– Kandinsky claimed to see colors when he heard music, and once said “Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings”
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Blue Rider, 1903
– Important painting of the period before Kandinsky began his abstacts
– The name of the painting is also the name of the artist movement he helped foundSelect optionsQuick View -
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Composition IX
– At this point in his career Kandinsky didn’t even need to plan the art or do preliminary sketches, and just painted this directly, revealing his vision
– Despite its appearance, the artist denied that this is a surrealist pieceSelect optionsQuick View -
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Composition V, 1911
– A huge and important painting
– Categorizing this piece is difficult is it absstract, nonobjective, or an “absolute painting”?Select optionsQuick View -
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Composition VII, 1913
– Regarded as his best pre-WWI work
– Numerous sketches and draft paintings preparing for this work illustrate the amount of thought and work that went into itSelect optionsQuick View -
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Composition X, 1939
– Another fine example of the similarities between art and music
– Unusually for Kandinsky, the color black is quite dominant. He had an aversion to the color black and the use of it here was done with a clear reasonSelect optionsQuick View -
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Development in Brown, 1933
– Somber painting perhaps representative of the colors of the uniforms of his Nazi detractors
– The Bauhaus, where he was based, was closed at the time of this piece as a result of the regime’s policiesSelect optionsQuick View -
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First Abstract Watercolor, 1910
- The first pure abstract watercolor by Kandinsky
- An example of the artist’s progression away from more traditional art towards pure abstract
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Fragment for Composition VII, 1913
– This is a study for the later complete finished Composition VII
– The final piece is in the State Tretyakov Gallery in MoscowSelect optionsQuick View -
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Fugue, 1914
– Sold for $20.9 million at a 1990 Sotheby’s auction
– Almost organic at first look but the interpretation is in the eye of the viewerSelect optionsQuick View -
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Improvisation 26, 1926
– Wonderful blend of colors and elements
– Improvisation with heavy musical influenceSelect optionsQuick View -
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Improvisation 31, Sea Battle, 1913
– Abstract but actually shows two ships in combat
– According to the artist, it represents “a terrible struggle . . . going on in the spiritual atmosphere”Select optionsQuick View -
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On White II, 1923
– The colors, primarily black and white, and the mixture of shapes represent the many opportunities of life battling the non-existence and death
– One of the artist’s most famous worksSelect optionsQuick View -
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Riding Couple, 1907
– Unusual painted style in this piece yet the content is clear. A real work of art
– Different to the type of painting for which he is most famous, perhaps a step in the evolution of Kandinsky!Select optionsQuick View