Vignette next to "Artwork and Artist" ("Kunstwerk und Künstler") (headpiece, page 95) from Über das Geistige in der Kunst (Concerning the Spiritual in Art)

The Vignette next to "Artwork and Artist" ("Kunstwerk und Künstler") (headpiece, page 95) from Über das Geistige in der Kunst (Concerning the Spiritual in Art) by Vasily Kandinsky is a crucial graphic element produced in 1911. This work is one of eleven powerful woodcuts created by the artist to accompany his seminal treatise on abstract art. The inclusion of these stylized, non-objective images was essential, visually reinforcing the radical theories Kandinsky articulated within the book’s text regarding the spiritual necessity of art. This specific vignette, appearing as a headpiece, functions as both decorative element and conceptual marker, emphasizing the internal impulse necessary for artistic creation.

As an Illustrated Book component, the piece demonstrates Kandinsky’s early mastery of the woodcut technique. The medium, with its capacity for stark black-and-white contrast and simplified outlines, allowed the artist to explore pure, dynamic form and line, bypassing traditional representation. The use of woodcuts also links this work to contemporary Expressionist movements, which highly valued graphic arts for their directness and emotional intensity. Produced during a period of intense innovation, the work reflects the modernist shifts occurring in Europe around 1911. Although Kandinsky was based in Munich, the catalogue classifies this period of artistic production under French culture, highlighting the broader international influences driving the development of Abstract Expressionism.

This work is inextricably linked to the foundations of 20th-century non-objective art. Kandinsky’s use of geometric abstraction in the Vignette reinforces his belief in the expressive power of form, detached from external reality. The work’s origin as a published illustration meant it reached a wide audience; the existence of multiple early prints underscores the importance of graphic reproduction in disseminating these radical modernist ideas across Europe. This historic example of the artist’s theoretical and artistic output is preserved in the renowned collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), making it a key reference point for scholars studying the origins of abstraction and the subsequent impact of the artist’s writings and imagery on modern art.