With three riders 1910

Wassily Kandinsky created this watercolor, aptly titled "With Three Riders," employing a range of abstract forms and colors. Note the recurring motif of the horse and rider, an archetypal image that echoes across cultures and epochs. From ancient Greek equestrian statues to medieval Christian iconography depicting triumphant knights, the rider symbolizes mastery, control, and spiritual guidance. In Kandinsky's Russia, the horse was deeply woven into the nation's identity and folklore, representing both freedom and power. Consider how this motif reappears in later works, such as those by Franz Marc, or even in the dreamlike sequences of Surrealist paintings. Here, color becomes a language of the soul, with blues evoking spirituality, reds suggesting passion, and yellows hinting at enlightenment. Kandinsky taps into our collective memory, reminding us that symbols and motifs resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings, their essence persisting through time.