Ohne titel

An intricate composition of pure geometric exploration, Ohne titel is a complex and richly defined work drawn by Kandinsky in 1925. This period was one of dramatic development for the artist in both theory and practice. Having returned to Germany from Moscow after the war, his artistic output shifted away from the fluid irregular shapes of his earlier creations towards a more purely geometric approach to abstraction. Clearly influenced by the Russian Constructivists he worked closely with during the wartime years, Kandinsky gradually introduced more angular, hard-edged geometrical elements into his compositions.
Through these creations, the artist sought to communicate a purely abstract language and evoke powerful and emotional responses from the viewer, much in the same way music has the ability to impact a listener. Believing that ‘‘form itself, even if completely abstract... has its own inner sound” (W. Kandinsky, "Malerei als reine Kunst," Der Sturm, Berlin, 1913, reproduced in P. Vergo and K. Lindsay, eds., Wassily Kandinsky Complete Writings on Art, Boston, 1982, pp. 348-354). The present work, with its confident precision, explores linear spatial planes contrasted against positive and negative space. Through a brilliant series of intersections among triangles, semi-circles and sharp precise lines, these dynamic and angular lines of rich ink work to create a dialogue between both balance and tension.