Small Worlds (Kleine Welten)

Small Worlds (Kleine Welten) by Vasily Kandinsky is a pivotal 1922 portfolio showcasing the artist's sophisticated engagement with graphic media. This collection of twelve prints, represented here by six distinct plates, highlights Kandinsky’s technical versatility through the integration of multiple printmaking processes-specifically lithographs, drypoints, and woodcuts. By utilizing diverse techniques, the artist explored the interplay of sharp, precise line work achieved through drypoint alongside the expressive textural possibilities offered by the woodcut and the fluid tonal variations inherent in lithography.

The series was created during a transitional period for Kandinsky, shortly after he began teaching at the Bauhaus, and it represents a crucial step in his evolution toward a more rigorously geometric form of abstraction. While the compositional elements in Small Worlds maintain the energetic quality of his earlier Expressionist canvases, the 1922 work increasingly integrates defined angles, circles, and linear systems, suggesting self-contained pictorial universes. The complexity of the graphic media employed underscores Kandinsky’s belief that different materials were essential for achieving specific visual and spiritual resonances in abstraction.

The resulting fine art prints allowed these abstract concepts to reach a broader audience, emphasizing the role of the print medium in the democratization of modern art. Though executed by the Russian master, the cultural classification often aligns with the concurrent development of the French printmaking scene where such portfolios found wide distribution. This comprehensive suite of prints is classified under the French culture designation of the 1922 period. This significant work, a testament to Kandinsky’s graphic innovations, is housed within the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.