Vignette next to "Adventure" (Vignette bei "Abenteuer") (headpiece, folio 45 verso) from Klänge (Sounds)

Vignette next to "Adventure" (Vignette bei "Abenteuer") (headpiece, folio 45 verso) from Klänge (Sounds) by Vasily Kandinsky is an essential illustration executed in 1913. This specific work is a woodcut, forming one of the fifty-six total woodcuts Kandinsky created for his experimental illustrated book, Klänge (Sounds). Published in Munich in a limited edition, Klänge served as a seminal text, bridging Kandinsky’s spiritual poetry and his rapidly evolving visual philosophy during the pivotal moment of transition toward pure abstraction.

The choice of the woodcut medium naturally complemented Kandinsky’s aesthetic aims during this time. The bold, simplified lines and stark black-and-white contrast inherent to the technique allowed the artist to present potent, abstract compositions focused on kinetic energy and form. Unlike the book's larger, full-page illustrations, this piece functions as a smaller headpiece, or vignette, used to visually segment the poetic text accompanying the word "Adventure." The print embodies the dynamic non-representational forms characteristic of Kandinsky’s Expressionist and early abstract style. The tension between simplified geometric lines and more organic, sweeping shapes suggests the visual manifestation of inner "sounds" or spiritual impulses, aligning directly with the theoretical foundation of the book's title.

Although Klänge originated from the German Expressionist movement, its impact and influence stretched across European avant-garde circles, heavily informing later developments in French abstract art. The creation of such complex illustrated books demonstrated Kandinsky’s commitment to unifying disparate art forms-poetry, music, and visual art-into a Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art). As a vital example of early 20th-century graphic prints, the work resides in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), documenting the origins of abstraction. Copies of these prints from 1913 continue to be studied by researchers as cornerstones of modern art history.