WASSILY KANDINSKY

LYRISCHES

Details
WASSILY KANDINSKY
LYRISCHES
WOODBLOCK, 1911THE BLACK 'DRAWING' BLOCK, SPLIT ACROSS THE CENTRE
146 X 218 X 25MM.
Literature
ROETHEL 98

Lot Essay

LYRISCHES IS CLOSELY RELATED TO A PAINTING OF THE SAME TITLE IN THE MUSEUM BOYMANS-VAN BEUNINGEN, ROTTERDAM.

JACQUES LASSAIGNE WROTE OF THE PAINTING '... LYRICAL ON THE OTHER HAND IS AN IMPRESSIVE SYNTHESIS, SO REFINED AND SIMPLIFIED THAT A FEW STROKES SUFFICE TO CONVEY THE LEAP OF THE HORSE AND ITS RIDER, WHO FORM A SINGLE UNASSAILABLE ENTITY, THE OUTSTRETCHED NECK OF THE HORSE BEING BALANCED BY THE MASS OF THE RIDER'S BODY. IN THEIR FABULOUS LEAP INTO SPACE, HORSE AND RIDER SOAR ABOVE THE SPARSE CURVES OF THE HORIZON AND THE SPINDLY BRANCHES OF THE TREES. A FEW SPLASHES OF COLOUR AMOUNTING TO THE MEREST HINTS ARE ENOUGH TO CREATE AN IMPRESSION OF VASTNESS AND SPACE.' (J. LASSAIGNE, KANDINSKY, SKIRA, GENEVA, 1964)

KANDINSKY WROTE TO GABRIELE MNTER FROM MURNAU ON 11 JULY 1911, 'ICH MACHE JETZ DEN HOLZSCHNITT MIT DEM JOCKEY, CONTURPLATTE SCHON FERTIG UND SEHR GUT. ES IST SCHON DER 4TE UND ALLE GUT GEWORDEN'. AFTER HE HAD CARRIED OUT A PRINTING FROM THE BLOCK ON 13 JULY, HE SENT ANOTHER SHORT NOTE ON 20 JULY SAYING, 'AUCH DIE LYRIK IST GUT GEWORDEN, BESSER ALS DAS BILD' (QUOTED IN ROETHEL, OP. CIT. P. 196).

APART FROM A FEW PROOFS ROETHEL DOES NOT RECORD ANY PRINTINGS AFTER THE EDITION IN KLäNGE.




FIG. 1. LYRISCHES

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