After leaving Russia, Kandinsky went first to Berlin, and then, in 1922, took up a post at the Bauhaus, the groundbreaking new school of arts and crafts in Weimar where he remained until its closure in 1933. The following year Kandinsky moved to Paris, where he spent the remaining decade of his life as a respected figure, continuing to paint and write until his death in 1944.
This final room shows a small group of paintings dating from the time of
his departure from Russia, which indicate 
some
of the developments that he would pursue in his later career. Blue
Segment (1921), with its combination of different forms, shows
Kandinsky’s art at a pivotal moment. Like many of his earlier works,
the title focuses on just one section of the painting, in this case
the blue segment rather like a crescent moon. The floating, freeform
elements of the painting contrast with more hard-edged geometrical shapes
– circles, triangles and rectangles. The colours are more muted, prefiguring
his later work, when he was to move away from primary colours and explore
a wider range of shades.
In Circles on Black (1921), Kandinsky begins to place a much bolder emphasis on geometry. The title emphasises the circles, which were to become an increasingly important motif in Kandinsky’s art; but there is also a strong white triangle in the top right corner. Kandinsky never ceased to explore the power of colours, and the effect of different colour combinations; in this painting the colours are muted, while bold contrasts are created between the black and white in the background. The interaction between different elements also creates a sense of space, with forms floating backwards or forwards within it.
Kandinsky was starting to employ more stable forms, and leaving behind his fluid, swirling lines and vibrant colours. He believed that ‘form itself, even if completely abstract, resembling a geometric form, has its own inner sound’; from this point on, he would use rational, geometric forms in his quest to achieve harmony and to express a spiritual reality. A decisive chapter in the evolution of abstract art, and Kandinsky’s own immense contribution, came to a close.
Text by Kate Paul
Room 9
Blue Segment 1921
oil on canvas 1206 x 1401 mm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
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White Centre 1921
oil on canvas 1187 x 1365 mm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
Hilla Rebay Collection, 1971
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Circles on Black 1921
oil on canvas 1365 x 1200 mm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
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