Improvisation No. 30 (Cannons)
1913
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
111 × 111.3 cm (43 11/16 × 43 13/16 in.)
Classification
oil on canvas
Department
Modern Art
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
8991
Art Historical Context
Vasily Kandinsky’s *Improvisation No. 30 (Cannons)* captures a pivotal moment in the birth of abstract art. Painted in 1913 while the Russian-born artist was living in Munich, the nearly square canvas belongs to his celebrated “Improvisation” series, in which he sought to translate musical experience directly into color and form. Rejecting recognizable subject matter, Kandinsky used swirling lines, vibrant bursts of red, blue, and yellow, and dynamic brushwork to evoke emotion without literal representation. The painting’s subtitle, “Cannons,” hints at the few semi-recognizable shapes that em...