This woodcut is part of Kandinsky’s “musical album” Klänge (Sounds) which consists of thirty-eight prose poems and fifty-six woodcuts. In this woodcut, Kandinsky sought to synthesize art with musical composition and create an interaction between the two. This painting is an abstract illustration of a lyrical composition. It depicts several lines and forms that are created with bold black strokes. The consequent planes that are formed are made colored with the primary colors red, blue, and yellow to highlight the different components of the painting. This abstract expression of music can be seen in the thickness of the lines, and the colors which represent different sounds and accents in the musical composition. This painting engages all the senses of the viewers and prompts them to see the composition visually.
SKU: 6436
Creator: Vassily Kandinsky
Date: 1911
Original Medium: woodcut printed in yellow, red, blue and black on Van Gelder paper
Original Size: 5 11/16 x 8 1/2 in.
Location: Los Angeles County Museum of Art