Wassily Kandinsky’s “Murnau With Church” I is a painting created at the start of his career in 1910. This artwork was painted at the peak of Kandinsky’s involvement with Fauvism, which resulted in the bright swathes of color. Although Kandinsky utilized modernist elements such as thick paint application and overlapping planes of color to highlight an abstracted landscape, there are still recognizable forms of the church and landscape which demonstrate minimal references to representation.
Kandinsky continued to strive for abstraction as reflected in pieces like his 1913 work, Fragment 2 For Composition Vii. He started incorporating maximum contrast between figures and spaces, flat blocking, geometric areas and dark outlines that represent figures against flattened atmospheres. He made distinct geometric areas for various shades for a captivating composition with a particular emphasis on circular movements.
Through this evolution from Murnau With Church I to Fragment 2 For Composition Vii, Wassily Kandinsky revolutionized art and demonstrated how a painting can universalize messages through pure abstraction and unique composition and colouring.
