Rider Motif in Oval Form (Reitermotiv in ovaler Form) (tailpiece, folio 59) from Klänge (Sounds)

Rider Motif in Oval Form (Reitermotiv in ovaler Form) (tailpiece, folio 59) from Klänge (Sounds) by Vasily Kandinsky is a pivotal woodcut dating from 1913, created as one of fifty-six graphic works featured in the artist’s influential illustrated book, Klänge (Sounds). This volume served as a critical platform for Kandinsky’s rigorous commitment to non-representational art, blending poetry and imagery to explore the synesthetic relationships between color, sound, and form. Although the artist was a central figure in German Expressionism, the work emerged during a significant period of European cultural exchange, contributing to the broader development of the French avant-garde and global modernism in the years leading up to World War I. This particular piece functioned as a tailpiece, signaling the completion of a section within the original folio.

Kandinsky’s frequent use of the rider motif, an icon symbolizing spiritual struggle and the movement toward pure abstraction, is presented here in a dramatically condensed format. The sharp, linear qualities inherent in the woodcut technique perfectly aligned with Kandinsky’s goal of distilling visual reality into essential, expressive components. The composition of Rider Motif in Oval Form confines dynamic, fragmented elements-suggesting the horse and rider-within an implied oval boundary, concentrating their energy and formal tension.

The medium, ideal for mass reproduction and the creation of sequential prints, allowed the artist to disseminate his radical theories on visual rhythm. Kandinsky used the stark contrast and expressive texture typical of the woodcut to maximize the perception of energetic movement within the limited frame. This masterwork from 1913 is a crucial document of the artist's final leap into pure abstraction. It remains an important example of modernist book illustration, meticulously preserved within the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.