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Wassily Kandinsky Art

Russian, 1866-1944

“Color is a means of exerting a direct influence upon the soul,” wrote the pioneering abstract artist Wassily Kandinsky. The Russian-born painter and theorist dedicated his life to using abstract compositions of form and color to express deep emotion as well as to depict the language of music through visuals.

Kandinsky was part of a crucial moment in art history — the early 20th century — that saw the rise of movements like Cubism. He embraced styles such as Surrealism and Fauvism and was a leading figure in bringing together Der Blaue Reiter (the name means “The Blue Rider” after one of Kandinsky’s paintings) in 1911, a group of avant-garde artists in Munich, including Paul Klee and Franz Marc, who explored spiritual concepts through their art as a response to the materialism of the time. Kandinsky also led courses on analytical drawing and color at the Bauhaus. He was appointed by founder and architect Walter Gropius to teach in Weimar in 1922. He taught at all three of the legendary school’s locations and remained with the institution until its forced closure by the Nazi party in Berlin.

The artist had the rare and unusual trait of synesthesia, the neurological ability to perceive things using multiple senses. In Kandinsky’s case, it was the gift of “seeing” music, and music appeared in every aspect of his work, including the titles of his series “Compositions,” “Improvisations” and “Impressions.” He once described the experience of painting using a musical metaphor: “I had little thought for houses and trees, drawing colored lines and blobs on the canvas with my palette knife, and making them sing just as powerfully as I knew how.”

While Kandinsky isn’t the first abstract artist — mystically inclined painter Hilma af Klint was making nonrepresentational art well before him — he certainly had the biggest impact on establishing the style. His paintings inspired the likes of Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and other Abstract Expressionists. From his Untitled (First Abstract Watercolor) painted in 1910 to future works, his unique take on using color and flair for bold, experimental compositions, Kandinsky is one of the most important figures of early-20th-century art.

Find original Wassily Kandinsky art, including paintings and prints, on 1stDibs.

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Style: Expressionist
Artist: Wassily Kandinsky
"Motif aus Improvisation 25: The Garden of Love" original woodcut
By Wassily Kandinsky
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original woodcut. Catalogue reference Roethel 105. Printed in Paris in 1938 for the art revue XXe Siecle (issue number 3). Image size: 8 1/2 x 8 3/4 inches (217 x 220 mm). Sh...
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1930s Expressionist Wassily Kandinsky Art

Materials

Woodcut

Plate 12
By Wassily Kandinsky
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Plate 12 From: 10 Origi, 1942 Signed in the block with the artist's initials lower left (printed) From: 10 Origin Not from the First edition 100, published by Allianz-Verlag, Zurich,...
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1970s Expressionist Wassily Kandinsky Art

Materials

Woodcut

"Schwartzer Fleck" original woodcut
By Wassily Kandinsky
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original woodcut. Catalogue reference Roethel 145. Printed in Paris in 1938 for the art revue XXe Siecle (issue number 3). Image size: 7 x 8 1/2 inches (170 x 218 mm). Sheet ...
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1930s Expressionist Wassily Kandinsky Art

Materials

Woodcut

'Improvisation 7' second ed. woodcut from 'Klänge' by Wassily Kandinsky
By Wassily Kandinsky
Located in Milwaukee, WI
'Improvisation 7' second ed. woodcut from 'Klänge' is a woodcut print created by Wassily Kandinsky. The present woodcut print comes from the second edition of 'Klänge (Sounds),' a book of original graphics and poetry by Wassily Kandinsky. The title of the album and of this print, 'Improvisation,' demonstrated Kandinsky's interest in music and how abstract musical forms could be translated into images on a two-dimensional surface. This particular composition is difficult to read, but through the abstraction, one can make out various figures and a landscape beyond. Originally carved and printed in 1911, this second edition print was done ca. 1938. It is a woodcut in black ink on woven paper. Signed with encircled 'K' in the block, lower right (from the book, signed in ink, ed. 117/300) Image Size: 7 1/2" x 5 inches Frame Size: 22 1/4" x 18 3/4" Ref. Roethel 124 Artist Bio: The Museum of Modern Art described 'Klänge (Sounds)' as follows: Vasily Kandinsky's self-described "musical album," Klänge (Sounds), consists of thirty-eight prose-poems he wrote between 1909 and 1911 and fifty-six woodcuts he began in 1907. In the woodcuts Kandinsky veiled his subject matter, creating increasingly indecipherable images (though the horse and rider, his symbol for overcoming objective representation, runs through as a leitmotif). This process proved crucial for the development of abstraction in his art. Kandinsky said his choice of media sprang from an "inner necessity" for expression: the woodcuts were not merely illustrative, nor were the poems purely verbal descriptions. Kandinsky sought a synthesis of the arts, in which meaning was created through the interaction of, and space between, text and image, sound and meaning, mark and blank space. The experimental typography shows his interest in the physical aspects of the book. Klänge is one of three major publications by Kandinsky that appeared shortly before World War I, alongside Über die Geistige in der Kunst (Concerning the Spiritual in Art) and the Blaue Reiter almanac...
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1910s Blue Rider Wassily Kandinsky Art

Materials

Woodcut, Laid Paper

'Improvisation 7' original first ed. woodcut from 'Klänge' by Wassily Kandinsky
By Wassily Kandinsky
Located in Milwaukee, WI
The present woodcut print comes from 'Klänge (Sounds),' a book of original graphics and poetry by Wassily Kandinsky. This first edition was released in an edition of 300, each book signed and numbered by the artist. The title of the album and this particular print, 'Improvisation,' demonstrated Kandinsky's interest in music and how abstract musical forms could be translated into images on a two-dimensional surface. This particular composition is difficult to read, but through the abstraction, one can make out various figures and a landscape beyond. 7.5 x 5 inches, image 22 x 19.5 inches, frame Woodcut in black ink on laid paper (watermark Van Gelder Zonen) Signed with encircled 'K' in the block, lower right Framed to conservation standards using 100 percent acid free archival materials including silk-lined matting with 1/4 inch bevel, museum glass, and a gold-gilded moulding Ref. Roethel 124 The Museum of Modern Art described 'Klänge (Sounds)' as follows: Vasily Kandinsky's self-described "musical album," Klänge (Sounds), consists of thirty-eight prose-poems he wrote between 1909 and 1911 and fifty-six woodcuts he began in 1907. In the woodcuts Kandinsky veiled his subject matter, creating increasingly indecipherable images (though the horse and rider, his symbol for overcoming objective representation, runs through as a leitmotif). This process proved crucial for the development of abstraction in his art. Kandinsky said his choice of media sprang from an "inner necessity" for expression: the woodcuts were not merely illustrative, nor were the poems purely verbal descriptions. Kandinsky sought a synthesis of the arts, in which meaning was created through the interaction of, and space between, text and image, sound and meaning, mark and blank space. The experimental typography shows his interest in the physical aspects of the book. Klänge is one of three major publications by Kandinsky that appeared shortly before World War I, alongside Über die Geistige in der Kunst (Concerning the Spiritual in Art) and the Blaue Reiter almanac...
Category

1910s Blue Rider Wassily Kandinsky Art

Materials

Woodcut

Felson,
By Wassily Kandinsky
Located in New York, NY
Black and White Woodcut. Published in 1909 in an edition of 100 to be used as a card member for the group of artists "Neu Kunstler-Vereingun Munchen". The impression is complete in ...
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1910s Blue Rider Wassily Kandinsky Art

Materials

Woodcut

Allerheiligen- All Saints Day.
By Wassily Kandinsky
Located in New York, NY
KANDINSKY, Wassily. Allerheiligen- All Saints Day. Original three-color woodcut (red, yellow ochre, blue – with olive green). 1911. Signed with the monogram...
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1910s Blue Rider Wassily Kandinsky Art

Materials

Woodcut

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Previously Available Items
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Medium: original woodcut. Catalogue reference Roethel 111. Printed in Paris in 1938 for the art revue XXe Siecle (issue number 3). Image size: 6 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches (165 x 213 mm). Sh...
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"Orientalisches" original woodcut
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Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original color woodcut. Catalogue reference Roethel 106. Printed in Paris in 1938 for the art revue XXe Siecle (issue number 3). Image size: 4 7/8 x 7 1/2 inches (123 x 190 m...
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Wassily Kandinsky - Untitled - Lithograph 15" x 22"
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Located in Brooklyn, NY
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Wassily Kandinsky art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Wassily Kandinsky art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of yellow and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Wassily Kandinsky in woodcut print, etching, lithograph and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Wassily Kandinsky art, so small editions measuring 4 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Serge Poliakoff, Leon Polk Smith, and Werner Drewes. Wassily Kandinsky art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $90 and tops out at $42,000, while the average work can sell for $1,279.

Artists Similar to Wassily Kandinsky

Questions About Wassily Kandinsky Art
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
    Wassily Kandinsky's art is largely in the style of Expressionism. The movement began in the early 20th century and focused on conveying the emotional aspects of the subject. Expressionist paintings tend to feature bright colors and dramatic lines. Find a range of Wassily Kandinsky art on 1stDibs.

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