Composition E, c. 1916 by Wassily Kandinsky

Composition E, by Wassily Kandinsky builds a deep indigo, wing-like form from loose cross-hatched ink lines set against watery washes of red, rose, gold, and green. Painted in 1916 by the Russian-born pioneer of abstract art during his years back in Russia through the First World War, the work sits between the radical pre-war Munich abstractions of his Der Blaue Reiter period and the precise geometric vocabulary he would develop after joining the Bauhaus in 1922.

Artist: Wassily Kandinsky (Russian, 1866-1944). Date: 1916.

Composition E, c. 1916 by Wassily Kandinsky. Wartime Watercolor and Ink Reproduction Canvas Print.