Audio Stop 15

00:00 00:00

Black lines and one small, black triangular shape stand out against patches of color, in indigo and sky blue, pumpkin orange, butter yellow, emerald green, and ruby red, against a white background in this vertical, abstract painting. The paint seems thinly applied, resembling watercolor. Near the lower right corner, the black shape is roughly triangular and has five curving, parallel lines emanating from the bottom. Given the title of this painting, Improvisation 31, Sea Battle, the black lines could represent tall masts and outlines of sails amid areas of vibrant color that make up a boat and water around it.

Wassily Kandinsky

Improvisation 31 (Sea Battle), 1913

East Building, Upper Level — Gallery 415-A

Wassily Kandinsky’s painting has some connection to the real world, but the details here have been distorted and adjusted to convey a mood. Although the amorphous shapes and colorful washes of paint may at first appear entirely abstract, they form a number of recognizable images. The central motif of Improvisation 31 (Sea Battle) is a pair of sailing ships locked in combat, their tall masts appearing as slender black lines. Kandinsky’s subject, found in a number of the Improvisations, was probably inspired by the apocalyptic imagery of the Book of Revelation.

Read full audio transcript

HARRY COOPER:

This is one of the very first paintings in the history of art that we can call “abstract” or verging on the abstract. And it was Kandinsky’s great achievement to be one of the first painters to take that risk.

NARRATOR:

Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky created this painting as part of a larger series.

Harry Cooper, curator and head of modern art, explains its title.

HARRY COOPER:

It’s really two titles. The subtitle, Sea Battle, gives us a clue about the representation. We can see a marine picture, a naval battle: masts of ships, cannons, explosions. But the principal title, Improvisation 31, is more important here, because that suggests the abstraction that is happening.

NARRATOR:

Kandinsky found inspiration from many sources, from biblical imagery to Russian folklore. Music was another muse, which is well represented here.

HARRY COOPER:

Music has a great directness—there’s nothing in between us and music. It sort of gets right into our head. These painters who wanted to break the rules and break free of these centuries- old techniques and conventions of painting reality could look to music and be inspired to paint almost with their eyes closed. Weaving together a lot of different colors, different kinds of marks. From these swirls and squiggles to these patches to these sort of searching lines. What kind of music do we see on the canvas? [laughs] Maybe that’s the question. For me, it’s rather symphonic.

East Building Tour: Featured Selections