This painting is an abstract expression of a landscape near Murnau and emphasizes the movement of a locomotive across the bottom half of the painting leaving behind a trail of smoke. Kandinsky breaks the landscape elements down to its basic forms and shapes to show the most important aspects of the painting, including the sky, hills, trees, houses, the railway, and the train. Kandinsky’s believed that colors also enabled viewers to experience the artwork with all their senses. Thus, the abstract application of colors to the landscape not only emphasized the locomotive but immersed the viewer into the painting.

SKU: 6085
Creator: Vassily Kandinsky
Date: 1909
Original Medium: oil on board
Original Size: 19 7/8 x 25 5/8 in
Location: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum