Blue

As a cofounder of the Munich-based Blue Rider artist group, Vasily Kandinsky believed that artists would lead the world into a new spiritual era. This print may represent the movement of celestial bodies within space. It could also be a visualization of sounds, melodic lines, and percussive rhythms, or simply an abstract arrangement of visual elements.

Kandinsky’s abstract subjects and style translated well to color lithography. The technique’s graphic qualities enabled the artist to produce flat planes of color and thick, lyrical lines. Atop these elements, he applied a layer of black shapes and a tight network of crisp lines that activate the composition.