Klänge Pl.25 1913

Wassily Kandinsky made this woodcut sometime in the early part of the 20th century; just look at the way the light and dark areas play against each other, creating shapes almost out of nothing. The process itself is so present here, isn't it? When I look at it, I think about carving and the physical act of cutting away at the wood to create the image. It’s all about the push and pull between what's there and what's not, that constant back and forth that defines artmaking. Those sharp, angular lines; they’re so confident and purposeful. There’s a rhythm to the forms that reminds me of jazz music. The composition is all about the balance, the tension between the abstract shapes and the overall image. I keep coming back to the upper left corner, to the jagged, lightning bolt shapes that energize the whole picture. This print shares some of the bold simplicity of other German Expressionist woodcuts, and reminds me a little of the work of Emil Nolde, although Nolde goes for something rawer and more immediate in his approach. Ultimately, though, Kandinsky’s work is all his own.