Kochel – Gabriele Munter 1902

Editor: Here we have Kandinsky's "Kochel – Gabriele Munter," painted around 1902 using oil on canvas. The impasto texture is the first thing I notice – it gives such a tactile, almost dreamy quality. What springs to your mind when you look at it? Curator: Oh, the way Kandinsky uses that heavy brushstroke! It's as if the landscape itself is breathing, isn't it? To me, this painting is almost a conversation, a quiet exchange between the sitter, Gabriele Munter, and the wild, untamed landscape around her. Can you feel the intensity of the Bavarian Alps looming behind her? The piece just vibrates with their burgeoning relationship at the time, both creatively and romantically. There’s this incredible push and pull. Do you get that sense, too? Editor: Absolutely! It's interesting how the landscape is as much of a 'portrait' as Gabriele is herself. Were they trying to capture something beyond a likeness? Curator: Precisely! Kandinsky wasn’t simply painting what he saw, but what he felt, right? The expressive use of colour, the almost child-like simplicity, invites us into their world. I can almost feel that raw, youthful exploration. Editor: It's like a moment captured in pure emotion. I hadn't fully appreciated the intensity of the landscape’s presence until now. Curator: Me neither, every single time it brings me new sensations and discoveries. What a delightful exchange.