“Counterpoint: “Composition VI” and “Composition VII” (Moscow, Russia)
28/03/2016
In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Kandinsky celebrated this year, the Tretyakov Gallery will exhibit two emblematic works of the artist: “Composition VI” and “Composition VII”. The first will be brought from the Hermitage, St. Petersburg, the second is a part of the permanent exposition of the Tretyakov Gallery.
Composition VI, 1913
Oil on canvas76.8 x 118.1" (195.0 x 300.0 cm)
Saint Petersburg, Russia. Hermitage Museum
Kandinsky was not just an abstract painter, he developed a solid theoretical foundation of abstract art, which his painting is entirely based on. According to his personal hierarchy, the artist paid special attention to compositions: he treated them as the main practical realization of his theories. Kandinsky created ten compositions altogether; the first three were lost during the world wars, the six remaining works are exhibited in museums of Russia (the Hermitage in St. Petersburg and the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow), in Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia Art Collection in D?sseldorf), in the USA (Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York) and in France (Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris), and “Composition V” belongs to a private collection in Switzerland.
Composition VII, 1913
Oil on canvas78.7 x 118.1" (200.0 x 300.0 cm)
Moscow, Russia. The State Tretyakov Gallery
The works that will be shown at the exhibition in Moscow are the biggest achievement of Kandinsky’s abstract art of the prewar period. They are created in 1913 during one year and, driven by one force, are united in the very counterpoint for birth of something absolutely new. This is an element of pure emotions and feelings expressed on a canvas.
On 5th February, at TASS press conference, the exhibition supervisor Irina Shumanova told that these will not be just two oil paintings hanging side by side. The organizers tried to adapt the exhibition to the perception of the new generation with the use of modern multimedia means. ‘I think you will be amazed with the show,’ she said.
