Swinging (1925) by Wassily Kandinsky

Swinging

1925

Geometric abstraction

Oil on board

19.7 × 27.6" (50.0 × 70.0 cm)

London, Tate

More from 1925

Small Dream In Red (1925) by Wassily KandinskySmall Dream In Red
In Blue (1925) by Wassily KandinskyIn Blue
One Spit (1925) by Wassily KandinskyOne Spit
Yellow-Red-Blue (1925) by Wassily KandinskyYellow-Red-Blue
In the Bright Oval (1925) by Wassily KandinskyIn the Bright Oval
Parallel Diagonals (1925) by Wassily KandinskyParallel Diagonals
All Around (1925) by Wassily KandinskyAll Around
Clear Connection (1925) by Wassily KandinskyClear Connection
Green and Red (1925) by Wassily KandinskyGreen and Red
Above and Left (1925) by Wassily KandinskyAbove and Left
Delicate Soul (1925) by Wassily KandinskyDelicate Soul
Sign (1925) by Wassily KandinskySign
Blue over Multicolored (1925) by Wassily KandinskyBlue over Multicolored
Descent (1925) by Wassily KandinskyDescent
Blue Circle II (1925) by Wassily KandinskyBlue Circle II
Three Elements (1925) by Wassily KandinskyThree Elements
Brown Silence (1925) by Wassily KandinskyBrown Silence
Free in Red (1925) by Wassily KandinskyFree in Red

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15 comments

29 April 2021
Jacob: So sorry, as every single comment here is from 2012-13 ish, but this is a non-representational work. The artist has not sought to replicate the act of sight and, therefore, despite any resemblance to a "swinging arm" or a figure made from the mass to the bottom left, they aren't meant to represent anything. The artist has sought to inspire in the viewer the feeling of swinging -- not through the visual means of representation of an earthly object or figure but through simple forms and color, nothing more or less. This is not a highly abstracted image that is meant to represent (as in depict) something.
05 March 2018
Sunday Dinner Crew, Sheppy B: We’re stoned, it’s awesome.
03 March 2016
Tanya from London: man in his bedroom stroking a cat surrounded by his possessions
16 December 2015
Annabelle from Croydon: i believe the message of this piece is to feel the music Kandinsky would have listened to while making it and what he wanted to portray will automatically come to you as it comes to others.
21 June 2015
doesn't matter from either: Why would you try to understand it? Do you try to understand music?
02 June 2015
Karim from Bordeaux, France: The Universe Is A Paradox

The universe we live in
Is a paradox, everybody knows that.
It is an eclipsed sun, or a galaxy sinking,
It is a dead man whose mind had enough of his body.

The way our world works
Is a mystery, it is common to everyone.
But is it ascending? or descending? It hesitates
And struggles to move on to a bright future.

A thread of pure darkness,
But full of life, it is apparent to the naked eye.
There is such a complication in this beam of Universe
That even the vivid light gave up inside.

The dimension that makes us exist
Is so wide, nobody ignores that.
Though there are massive gears in that machinery, even
The smallest thing matters, just as the piece that makes it all happen.

The mechanism of life we try to see
Does not make sense, anyone would tell you this.
But what is sense to a cathedral full of treasures, and incandescent
Drops of fire rain? Maybe it is just not the sense we all know.
10 March 2015
Renee: i think it was inspired by music which was Kandinsky's main influence in his works.
05 March 2015
Kent from Philippines: For how I understood it, it is a crime scene, a stabbing incident to be specific. Judging from the title and the pointed curves on the right side of the painting, which suggests movement of the what now is a horizontal rectangle perpendicular to another, suggesting the 'swinging' of the arm. Second is how two triangles seem to puncture through the green stair like figure. Notice how the red blots on its point and how the red spreads through the background as if it is the floor. Red is the color of life or death as it is the color of blood which either flows in or out of our bodies.
16 December 2014
The art critic from Media, WA, USA: I do not understand it, but i like the color combination and how everything mixed but didn't. I also felt like everything mixed well but some things appeared to be accidents.
26 November 2013
john from uk: It seems to be a clear picture of a clown like man kissing a little green puppy dog. Once I saw that I can see nothing else. I have this print hanging in my kitchen!
13 November 2013
niveen from egypt: I bought a print of this paining from Tate modern @london, Actually I love watching it though i still cant understand it, it just make me feel joy
06 May 2013
matthew bailey from mid missouri: ned slob... you obviously have zero knowledge in the world of abstraction and lyrical abstraction. though i am new to the subject of lyrical abstraction i can tell you that a theme in this cornerstone of the abstract genre is movement. one other theme along with color and space is rhythm and melody. How does one feel when they hear a symphony or a jazz band play a song or movement? so another theme could definitely be mood or feeling.
16 January 2013
ayo from swiss: Movement is the theme.
16 November 2012
Ned Slob from North Korea: This art work is a piece of c**p but it is kinda good
19 September 2012
hannah: what is the theme of this piece of art?

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