Vignette next to "Theory" ("Theorie") (headpiece, page 81) from Über das Geistige in der Kunst (Concerning the Spiritual in Art)

Vignette next to "Theory" ("Theorie") (headpiece, page 81) from Über das Geistige in der Kunst (Concerning the Spiritual in Art) by Vasily Kandinsky is a pivotal graphic work dating from 1911. Executed as a woodcut, this small, powerful image is one of eleven prints specifically created to accompany Kandinsky’s seminal theoretical treatise, which laid the intellectual groundwork for modern abstract art. The book, whose title translates to Concerning the Spiritual in Art, was first published in Munich but quickly circulated internationally, resonating strongly within French culture and across European centers during this transformative period.

Kandinsky utilized these illustrated elements not merely as decorative devices but as visual corollaries to his revolutionary concepts of non-objective painting and the psychic resonance of color and form. The artist intended the woodcut to operate on a spiritual plane, reflecting the deep, internalized experiences discussed within the adjacent pages of the theory chapter on page 81. Though simplified and reductive, the composition shows the definitive movement towards pure abstraction that characterized Kandinsky’s pioneering efforts in 1911. The stark, bold geometry inherent to the woodcut technique perfectly conveys the dynamic energy the artist sought in his burgeoning visual vocabulary, translating complex theoretical ideas into immediate, graphic impact.

As an illustrated book, Über das Geistige in der Kunst cemented Kandinsky’s position not only as a visionary painter but also as a powerful theorist of the avant-garde. The survival of these delicate early prints offers direct insight into the visual language Kandinsky was formulating concurrently with his written arguments for the complete autonomy of art from representational demands. This historically significant work is housed within the esteemed collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), where it remains an essential reference for scholars seeking to understand the philosophical and practical shift to abstraction that defined the early twentieth century.