Rider and Child (Reiterin und Kind) (headpiece, folio 17) from Klänge (Sounds)

Rider and Child (Reiterin und Kind) (headpiece, folio 17) from Klänge (Sounds) by Vasily Kandinsky is a highly significant graphic work dating to 1913, demonstrating the artist’s commitment to spiritual abstraction through the expressive medium of the woodcut. This piece serves as one of the fifty-six striking visual accompaniments to Kandinsky's book of poetic prose, Klänge (Sounds), first published in Munich. The integration of image and text in this illustrated book was central to Kandinsky's synesthetic theories, wherein color, form, and sound were meant to elicit corresponding emotional responses in the viewer and reader.

The technique used for this artwork is a woodcut, a medium the artist favored for its inherent limitations, which forced him toward simplification and stark contrasts of black and white. While the title Rider and Child confirms a figurative subject, the composition is highly stylized, employing jagged, energetic lines that border on complete non-representation. Kandinsky frequently utilized the iconography of the "Rider" or St. George motif as a symbol of spiritual battle and the advance of modern art, linking this 1913 work directly to his belief system regarding artistic progress.

The period of its creation places this piece at a pivotal moment in the history of abstraction, just before the outbreak of World War I. While the book originated in Germany, the cultural designation of French points to the international impact and dissemination of Kandinsky's ideas across European art centers, particularly in Paris. As a foundational work of twentieth-century modernism, this edition demonstrates the versatility of the artist, who simultaneously produced monumental oil paintings and these intimate yet powerful prints. This particular woodcut is preserved in the comprehensive collection of prints, illustrated books, and works on paper at the Museum of Modern Art.