Blauer Kreis No. 2 1925

Curator: Ah, yes, "Blauer Kreis No. 2" by Wassily Kandinsky. He completed this piece using oil paint back in 1925. What strikes you initially? Editor: A sense of calm, perhaps surprisingly. It's almost celestial, a blue planet nestled within a warm, radiating atmosphere, although there's a groundedness, too, with that bold, horizontal stroke anchoring the composition. Does that read as a little too romantic? Curator: Not at all! It's easy to see that tranquility. Kandinsky, after all, believed colors possessed their own distinct voices. It makes sense. His theoretical treatise, *Concerning the Spiritual in Art* , essentially lays bare his ideas on synesthesia, color and form having almost musical attributes. Editor: Exactly! And this piece resonates so clearly with those concepts. The circle—often read as a symbol of the spiritual. Red the color for energy and passion, the circle in this context becomes less a shape and more an emotional forcefield. Then BAM. The horizon, with the stark contrast of that line that reminds me of constructivism! What was his intent? Curator: Intriguing isn't it? Especially when situated in its socio-historical moment. Kandinsky was teaching at the Bauhaus at this time; which championed the reconciliation of art, craft, and technology. There, he investigated geometry and colour theory and emphasized the importance of basic shapes - circle, triangle and square, with which Kandinsky associated specific emotions. Editor: I find the combination really arresting, especially considering the context of the 1920s—the machine age versus inner life. There are really only three distinct elements that offer simplicity of line that could only belong to such a complicated time. I feel transported but with restraint! Curator: Restraint is a fantastic way to put it. Kandinsky isn't simply indulging in pure abstraction for abstraction's sake, and that simplicity has a sense of freedom. There are no references! Editor: Which is fascinating because to strip away so much allows it to express so much about the internal states of humankind. Curator: Absolutely, and when looking at works like “Blauer Kreis No. 2”, it becomes increasingly clear to me how innovative he was in his non-objectivity. Thank you for that insight! Editor: No, thank you. It's always refreshing to lose myself in the cosmic embrace of Kandinsky's colours. It certainly reminds me of where we could find serenity today if only we try.