Klänge Pl.15 1913

Wassily Kandinsky made this woodcut, with its blues, reds, and blacks, by carving into a block and pressing it onto paper. I imagine him testing different color combinations, shifting forms until they vibrate just right. The black lines squiggle and loop, weaving through pools of color. Look at the lower left—there's a shape that almost looks like a teacup, but then it's not. These aren't objects, but feelings becoming form. You know, Kandinsky was all about synesthesia, how colors can evoke sounds, and vice versa. He wanted to create paintings that were like music. The roughness of the woodcut gives it this raw, immediate feel. It's like he's hacking away at the block, trying to release something from inside. These prints were part of a series called "Klänge," which means "sounds" in German. Kandinsky was part of a whole movement of artists trying to find new ways of seeing and expressing themselves and pushing against the old ways of doing things. The conversation between artists never ends!