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Which geometric shapes stand out in Wassily Kandinsky’s Composition VIII?
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Wassily Kandinsky
Painting with Green Center, oil on canvas by Wassily Kandinsky, 1913; in the Art Institute of Chicago.
In Composition VIII (1923), Wassily Kandinsky utilizes a variety of geometric elements scattered across the canvas. The most prominent shape is a large black circle located in the upper left corner, which serves as a vital reference point for smaller circles and provides a stark contrast to the painting's sharp lines and triangles.1
These forms reflect Kandinsky’s methodical application of his theories regarding the relationship between color and form, which he developed while teaching at the Bauhaus. For Kandinsky, the circle was a primary form that he believed pointed toward the fourth dimension and contained a sense of beautiful opposition.1