Tate Modern| Past Exhibitions | Kandinsky: The Path to Abstraction

In his seminal treatise On the Spiritual in Art, published in 1911, Kandinsky separated his paintings into three categories. ‘Impressions’ were observations of the natural world. ‘Improvisations’ were spontaneous expressions of a mood or feeling, such as Improvisation 11 (1910) displayed here. ‘Compositions’ were also inner visions, but on a grander, more ambitious scale. The meticulous planning and intricate structure of the Compositions made them analogous to a symphony. Soon after creating his first Composition, Kandinsky became immersed in the new musical theories of the Viennese composer Arnold Schoenberg, with whom he began a longstanding friendship and correspondence. The development of Kandinsky’s art, as he moved towards abstraction, relates to Schoenberg’s innovations in musical composition.

Kandinsky made only ten Compositions; the three earliest were destroyed in Allied bombing during the Second World War. However, numerous preparatory works survive, including the large oil painting displayed here, Sketch for Composition II (1910). The exact subject matter of the painting has provoked much debate, but it seems to depict a cataclysmic event on the left hand side of the canvas, with figures engulfed by flood under a dark, stormy sky, and a scene of salvation, with reclining figures, on the right. The work shows a major stylistic advance: Kandinsky turns his back on conventional perspective for broad fields of colour, using linear elements to create depth.

Room 3

Wassily Kandinsky
Deluge I 1912
Sintflut I
oil on canvas 1000 x 1050 mm
Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Krefeld

Wassily Kandinsky
Improvisation 11 1910
oil on canvas 975 x 1065 mm
The State Russian Museum

Wassily Kandinsky
Sketch for Composition II 1910
oil on canvas 975 x 1312 mm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York

Wassily Kandinsky
Sketch for Composition II 1910
oil on cardboard 570 x 475 mm
Private Collection, Switzerland

Wassily Kandinsky
Angel of the Last Judgement 1911
oil on cardboard 640 x 500 mm
Private Collection, Switzerland

Wassily Kandinsky
Study for Improvisation 8 1909
Oil on cardboard 980mm x 700mm
Winterthur, Kunstmuseum Winterthur,
Permanent loan of the Volkart Foundation, 1960

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	About Visiting Information Book Tickets Events & Education Room Guide Shop Teachers' Pack Further Resources Room 3 Room plan Room 1 Room 2 Room 3 Room 4 Room 5 Room 6 Room 7 Room 8 Room 9 In his seminal treatise On the Spiritual in Art, published in 1911, Kandinsky separated his paintings into three categories. ‘Impressions’ were observations of the natural world. ‘Improvisations’ were spontaneous expressions of a mood or feeling, such as Improvisation 11 (1910) displayed here. ‘Compositions’ were also inner visions, but on a grander, more ambitious scale. The meticulous planning and intricate structure of the Compositions made them analogous to a symphony. Soon after creating his first Composition, Kandinsky became immersed in the new musical theories of the Viennese composer Arnold Schoenberg, with whom he began a longstanding friendship and correspondence. The development of Kandinsky’s art, as he moved towards abstraction, relates to Schoenberg’s innovations in musical composition. Kandinsky made only ten Compositions; the three earliest were destroyed in Allied bombing during the Second World War. However, numerous preparatory works survive, including the large oil painting displayed here, Sketch for Composition II (1910). The exact subject matter of the painting has provoked much debate, but it seems to depict a cataclysmic event on the left hand side of the canvas, with figures engulfed by flood under a dark, stormy sky, and a scene of salvation, with reclining figures, on the right. The work shows a major stylistic advance: Kandinsky turns his back on conventional perspective for broad fields of colour, using linear elements to create depth. Room 3 Wassily Kandinsky Deluge I 1912 Sintflut I oil on canvas 1000 x 1050 mm Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Krefeld Wassily Kandinsky Improvisation 11 1910 oil on canvas 975 x 1065 mm The State Russian Museum Wassily Kandinsky Sketch for Composition II 1910 oil on canvas 975 x 1312 mm Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York Wassily Kandinsky Sketch for Composition II 1910 oil on cardboard 570 x 475 mm Private Collection, Switzerland Wassily Kandinsky Angel of the Last Judgement 1911 oil on cardboard 640 x 500 mm Private Collection, Switzerland Wassily Kandinsky Study for Improvisation 8 1909 Oil on cardboard 980mm x 700mm Winterthur, Kunstmuseum Winterthur, Permanent loan of the Volkart Foundation, 1960 enlarge next room back to top