Kandinsky started teaching at the Bauhaus in 1922. It was there he theorized his conception of art in the book Point and Line to Plane, of which Gelb, Rot, Blau might be said to be a visual illustration. Kandinsky’s early, lyrical and spontaneous abstraction gave way in the 1920s to one more geometric and rational. This painting is based on the equilibrium of opposing but contradictory elements. At first glance, there seem to be two contrasting parts, with geometric lines and luminous colours to the left, more complex forms and darker shades to the right. Yet the main emphasis is on the thr...

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Kandinsky started teaching at the Bauhaus in 1922. It was there he theorized his conception of art in the book Point and Line to Plane, of which Gelb, Rot, Blau might be said to be a visual illustration. Kandinsky’s early, lyrical and spontaneous abstraction gave way in the 1920s to one more geometric and rational. This painting is based on the equilibrium of opposing but contradictory elements. At first glance, there seem to be two contrasting parts, with geometric lines and luminous colours to the left, more complex forms and darker shades to the right. Yet the main emphasis is on the three primary colours, the composition being organised by their succession from left to right.

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