Wassily Kandinsky

Nina Kandinsky, Paris (by descent from the artist in 1944)

Galerie Cazeau-Béraudière, Paris

Acquired from the above by the present owner

Vivian Endicott Barnett, Kandinsky Watercolors, Catalogue raisonné, 1900-1912, vol. I, New York, 1992, no. 474, illustrated p. 414

The sheet is affixed to the window mount along the top corners and bottom edge. On the verso of the sheet are tiny, pinpoint spots of discoloration, but these do not appear on the recto nor do they affect the appearance of the composition in any way. Over all, this work is in excellent condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Also known as Le Port jaune, this fantastically colorful composition dates from Kandinsky's stay in his native Russia during the First World War.  With the outbreak of the war, in August 1914 the artist left Germany and, having spent several months in Switzerland with Gabriele Münter, in December he reached Russia, where he was going to stay until 1921.  Writing about the development of his art during the years spent in his native country, Clark V. Poling comments:  "Viewed from the perspective of his entire career, the seven years Kandinsky spent in Russia occasioned a transition in his art, from the expressionist abstraction of the immediately preceding Munich years to the geometric style of his Bauhaus period.  A parallel shift in his theoretical work began to occur in Russia, as he increasingly emphasized the objective characteristics of formal elements and the principles of their use" (C. V. Poling, Kandinsky, Bauhaus and Russian Years (ex. cat.), The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1983, p. 14).  

 

At the same time, however, his stay in Russia inspired a return to a more figurative pictorial vocabulary, reminiscent of his earlier work. This transition is visible in the present watercolor: some degree of association with nature still exists in an allusion to a landscape, in the hills, boats and the curved line of a bridge running across the composition.  While still recognizable from his early works, these elements have become increasingly abstract and geometricized.  In September and October of 1917, Kandinsky painted several major oils, characterised by a heavy, dark palette.  His watercolors of this period, however, exhibit a much lighter and joyful atmosphere.  Colored in soft, pastel tones outlined in black ink, Kandinsky's watercolors of this period, including the present work, gradually abandon the sense of gravity, heralding the purely abstract compositions of his Bauhaus years.