Around the circle 1940

Wassily Kandinsky made this painting, Around the Circle, with oil on canvas, but I don't know exactly when! His approach to mark-making and color feels so intuitive; like he was letting the process lead the way. The painting has a fantastic dark green background, which is made more exciting by the variety of shapes and colors floating on top. You know, the texture isn't super obvious, it's not like impasto, but the surface has a real presence. There’s a large circle, near the top, that has a reddish-purple half-moon right behind it, but what I really like is the yellow dot in the middle. It's like a focal point, but also a little off, a little weird. Thinking about other artists, I can see some similarities with Paul Klee, in the way he uses shapes and colors to create a kind of visual language. It all embraces ambiguity and multiple interpretations.