Improvisation Klamm, 1914 1916

Editor: Here we have Wassily Kandinsky's "Improvisation Klamm," painted in 1914 with oil on canvas. It is a dizzying array of colours and shapes, which at first look quite chaotic. What do you see in this painting, beyond the surface? Curator: Beyond the formal aspects, I see a potent visual expression emerging from a turbulent time. Consider the historical context: painted just before the outbreak of World War I, the “Improvisations” are generally regarded to reflect Kandinsky's inner response to the growing unease of the period. Editor: So, it's a premonition of sorts? A reaction to the social and political landscape? Curator: Precisely. Kandinsky sought to express the spiritual and emotional turmoil through abstraction, liberating colour and form from their representational duties. It's also key to look at it through the lens of his earlier engagement with the spiritual, in theosophy. One could say, he saw an oncoming "end of days", if you will. Does that resonate at all with you when you look at it? Editor: I suppose. There is definitely an anxiety in the air here. Now I am wondering if his abstraction itself can be viewed as a political act, as an escape or even resistance? Curator: Absolutely. Breaking from traditional representation can be viewed as a radical statement. Kandinsky challenged the dominant paradigm. What happens when one completely breaks free from norms, from expected canons of behaviour and expression? Editor: That’s true, I hadn’t thought of it that way. Seeing it as more than just abstract art opens a completely different viewpoint on modernism, then! Thanks! Curator: Indeed! Considering the artwork in dialogue with history and social issues transforms our perception. I'm glad we could view "Improvisation Klamm" from this lens today.