Improvisation 9 1910

Wassily Kandinsky made Improvisation 9, an oil on canvas, and in it, you can see how he’s letting the process guide the way. I love how the colors bump up against each other. There’s this tension, but it’s also playful. Look at how he uses black to outline shapes, but then fills them with these almost clashing colors. It’s like he’s pushing and pulling at the same time. There's a passage at the top, a sort of zig-zag of dark paint. To me, this mark anchors the whole composition. It's a grounding element. It gives your eye a place to rest, and then you can dive back into the chaos of color and form. You can almost see him thinking as he paints; the brushstrokes are so alive. You know, seeing this makes me think of Joan Mitchell, another painter who wasn't afraid to let her feelings spill onto the canvas. Art's just an ongoing conversation, isn't it?