Color studies with information on painting technique 1913

Wassily Kandinsky made this watercolour piece, 'Color studies with information on painting technique,' as a way to explore the emotional power of color and form. He’s feeling out how different combinations affect us, almost like a scientist with his test tubes. Look at how the colours bleed and mingle; there's a real sense of fluidity. The circles, squares, and triangles aren’t just shapes. They're containers for feelings, right? The colours are thin and transparent. You can see the paper underneath, which makes the colours glow. The way he layers the washes creates depth, almost like looking into a stained-glass window. See the top left square, the way the dark purple bleeds around the red circle? It gives it a sense of depth. Kandinsky was interested in music, and in the same way that Schoenberg was working to create atonal music, Kandinsky’s work helps us to think about the freedom of colour to produce harmonies and dissonances in the absence of reference to external reality. He's like a visual composer, making music for your eyes.