Eternity from Verses Without Words (Stichi bez slov)

Eternity from Verses Without Words (Stichi bez slov) is a significant early print created by Vasily Kandinsky in 1903. This woodcut is one of twelve original prints comprising the complete artistic portfolio, titled Verses Without Words. The comprehensive publication demonstrates Kandinsky’s early dedication to book arts, also featuring a woodcut title page, a woodcut table of contents, a supplementary woodcut, and a woodcut colophon, unifying image and text in a cohesive design.

Produced during a critical phase of the artist’s career, the piece reflects the Symbolist and Art Nouveau influences prominent in French culture at the turn of the century. Although Kandinsky was primarily based in Munich, the decorative linearity and graphic intensity seen in the work are distinctly informed by international developments in printmaking. Using the inherent starkness of the woodcut medium, Kandinsky explored spiritual and mythological subjects, treating them with a simplified, flattened perspective that presages his later commitment to pure abstraction. These dramatic compositions, created entirely in 1903, solidified the artist’s reputation as a masterful graphic designer before his full transition to painting.

The work Eternity from Verses Without Words characterizes Kandinsky’s early search for transcendental meaning through expressive form. The complete suite of prints remains an essential document for scholars tracing the evolution of his visual vocabulary during this foundational period. Today, this specific woodcut is classified as a print and resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, ensuring its accessibility for critical evaluation. As a hallmark of early modernist graphic arts, and originating from a time when the artist briefly engaged with French aesthetics, the piece is occasionally available in high-quality digital formats through public domain initiatives, allowing wider appreciation of Kandinsky’s foundational work.