Small Worlds IX (Kleine Welten IX) from Small Worlds (Kleine Welten)

Small Worlds IX (Kleine Welten IX) from Small Worlds (Kleine Welten) by Vasily Kandinsky, created in 1922, is a pivotal work of abstraction derived from the artist’s highly influential graphic portfolio. This piece is one of four drypoints included in the Kleine Welten series, which originally comprised twelve distinct prints utilizing multiple techniques: six lithographs, four drypoints, and two woodcuts. The portfolio’s creation coincided with Kandinsky’s return to Germany after the Russian Revolution and his assumption of a teaching role at the Bauhaus, a time when he focused heavily on the visual interaction between geometric structure and expressive color.

In this specific drypoint, Kandinsky utilizes the fine, burr-enhanced lines characteristic of the medium to create a dynamic, non-objective composition. Created in 1922, the work captures the artist’s mature abstract vocabulary, characterized by bold lines, intersecting angles, and floating organic forms that suggest rhythmic motion and spatial complexity. Although Kandinsky was working primarily in Germany during this period, the production of these prints was deeply connected to the contemporary graphic tradition spreading through Europe. The portfolio reflects a broad, post-war artistic movement often associated with French and German publishing centers that disseminated modernist prints globally.

The Kleine Welten series provided Kandinsky an opportunity to explore the relationship between form and line through varied graphic techniques, making the suite one of the most important print collections of the early twentieth century. Because the portfolio allowed for wider dissemination than unique paintings, these abstracted compositions were crucial in advancing the cause of non-objective art internationally. This particular impression of Small Worlds IX is classified as a print and resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), ensuring its continued availability for study and appreciation. Like many seminal works of this period, high-quality prints and references are increasingly available through the public domain, allowing broader access to Kandinsky’s innovative output from 1922.