The Rhine (Rejn) from Verses Without Words (Stichi bez slov)

The Rhine (Rejn) from Verses Without Words (Stichi bez slov) is a key early print created by Vasily Kandinsky in 1903, marking a pivotal moment in the artist's developing graphic practice. This work is a woodcut, produced as part of a significant portfolio that included twelve primary woodcuts, a dedicated title page, a table of contents, a supplementary woodcut, and a colophon.

The utilization of the woodcut technique allowed Kandinsky to employ bold, simplified lines and stark contrasts, visual characteristics that would define much of his subsequent graphic output. Although executed during the early 20th century, the print reflects the broad influence of expressionistic tendencies within European art, particularly those movements thriving in the French culture sphere around (1903). While the image remains anchored in a representational study of the famous European river, the expressive compression of form and selective detail anticipates the formal abstraction that Kandinsky would soon embrace.

The portfolio Verses Without Words is fundamental to understanding Kandinsky’s transition toward non-objective art. The expressive handling of the wood grain and the powerful use of black against white demonstrate the artist’s mastery of the medium. As a major example of early modernist prints, this piece holds substantial historical value, documenting the period before Kandinsky dissolved landscape entirely into pure color and form. The print is permanently held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), ensuring this important work remains available for scholarly research into the origins of abstraction.