Back cover (Hills, Trees, Clouds and Figure) from Xylographs (Xylographies)

Back cover (Hills, Trees, Clouds and Figure) from Xylographs (Xylographies) by Vasily Kandinsky is a significant early print, created in 1907, and subsequently published in 1909. This particular work is one of eight heliogravures derived from original woodcuts, forming a crucial portfolio documenting Kandinsky’s early movement toward abstraction. The complete portfolio included specific design elements like the front cover, the Back cover, and the title page, confirming the artist’s holistic approach to the collection's presentation. As a heliogravure, the piece utilized an early form of photomechanical reproduction to translate the stark, graphic quality of the original woodcuts into high-quality prints.

The composition features stylized natural elements- Hills, Trees, Clouds and Figure- positioning the work within Kandinsky's transitional Symbolist-influenced phase. The solitary figure is small and isolated, frequently dwarfed by the dramatic, simplified forms of the surrounding landscape. This reliance on the woodcut technique necessitates sharp contrasts and simplified shapes, a visual language that inherently foreshadows the intense, non-objective expressionism that would soon define the artist’s mature aesthetic. Though Kandinsky was Russian, the influential 1909 publication of Xylographies took place within a French cultural context, confirming the artist's engagement with the European avant-garde, where graphic art was a vital medium for experimentation.

Classification as a print highlights the graphic severity and expressive linearity preferred by Kandinsky during this pivotal time. Although the conceptual origin dates to 1907, the official publication date of 1909 marks its formal release to the public. The stark, black-and-white visual vocabulary of the work provides an essential counterpoint to the vivid, color-saturated canvases Kandinsky would soon create. This piece documents the nascent stages of abstract thought and is held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, where it serves as a critical reference for understanding the trajectory of European Modernism.