Vignette next to "Open" (Vignette bei "Offen") (headpiece, folio 14) from Klänge (Sounds)

Vignette next to "Open" (Vignette bei "Offen") (headpiece, folio 14) from Klänge (Sounds) is a crucial woodcut created by Vasily Kandinsky in 1913. This specific work functions as a headpiece within Kandinsky’s seminal illustrated book, Klänge (Sounds). The book, a foundational publication in early abstraction, showcased fifty-six original woodcuts accompanying Kandinsky’s experimental prose poems, establishing a framework for visual and textual synesthesia.

Kandinsky’s mastery of the woodcut medium is evident in the dynamic tension and bold contrasts utilized in this piece. The sharp, black lines against the white ground emphasize the expressive potential of abstraction, moving away from representational forms toward purely emotional and structural "sounds." The creation of Klänge in 1913 was pivotal, representing Kandinsky's definitive step into non-objective art and his deep commitment to theoretical connections between color, sound, and form. The woodcut technique was carefully chosen by the artist for its immediacy and graphic power, allowing him to distill complex visual ideas into stark, geometric, and rhythmic compositions.

The publication, classified culturally as French due to the international dissemination and influence of the avant-garde circles involved, marked a high point in the artist's engagement with printmaking. This specific piece, Vignette next to "Open", serves as a visual precursor to the textual elements on the folio, demonstrating the artist’s ambition to unify different sensory modes within a single publication. The fifty-six prints comprising the illustrated book explore the interplay between chaotic energy and controlled structure, which defined Kandinsky's breakthrough period. The work’s significance is enhanced by its role as an early example of abstract book design, cementing Kandinsky’s place not only as a painter but as a revolutionary graphic artist. This seminal 1913 Illustrated Book is a valued holding within the Museum of Modern Art collection.