Plate (folio 12) from 10 Origin

Plate (folio 12) from 10 Origin by Vasily Kandinsky is a significant late-career graphic work created in 1942. This piece is a woodcut, a medium the artist selected to emphasize sharp, high-contrast linear forms. It is one of ten distinct prints forming the portfolio 10 Origin, which provided a comprehensive look at Kandinsky’s techniques by including six linoleum cuts, three woodcuts, and a single lithograph. The intentional variety of print methods allowed Kandinsky to explore the relationship between texture and pure abstraction in reproducible forms.

Produced while the artist resided in Paris during the tumultuous period of World War II, the print reflects the continuing refinement of his geometric and biomorphic abstraction. Despite the difficult historical context surrounding 1942, Kandinsky, a key pioneer of non-objective art, maintained a rigorous focus on form and internal compositional necessity. His style at this time had moved away from the more fluid expressionism of his earlier Bauhaus years toward schematic, interlocking shapes that often suggest microscopic organisms or cosmic machinery. This work firmly aligns with the post-Cubist abstract traditions prevalent in French art circles during the early 1940s.

As a fine art print, Plate (folio 12) from 10 Origin underscores Kandinsky’s lifelong dedication to the democratic potential and widespread distribution afforded by graphic arts. The portfolio 10 Origin represents one of the final major publishing ventures overseen by the artist before his death in 1944, making this collection a vital summation of his final artistic explorations. The work is held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), where it serves as an important reference point for studying the evolution of abstract expressionism and printmaking techniques in the 20th century.