Crusaders 1903

"Crusaders" is an oil on canvas painting by the Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky, created in 1903. This painting, depicting two riders on horseback in front of a cityscape, showcases the beginning of Kandinsky's move away from representational art towards abstraction. The vibrant colors, simplified forms, and flattened perspective foreshadow his later experiments with color and form, which ultimately led to the development of abstract art. This work exemplifies the influence of the Symbolist movement, a trend in late 19th-century European art that emphasized the expression of emotions and ideas over the literal representation of reality.