Composition VIII

Kandinsky regarded Composition VIII as the high point of his postwar achievement.

In this work circles, triangles, and linear elements create a surface of interacting geometric forms. The importance of circles in this painting foreshadows the dominant role they would play in many subsequent works.

There appears to be no logic in the imagery; the components do not "respond" to each other; no organic continuity is evident and no psychological associations are evoked. Comparable to the sublime humor of a divertimento, the elements - although they seem to be strictly geometric - actually deviate from their mathematically defined shapes.

Kandinsky evolved an abstract style that reflected the utopian artistic experiments of the Russian avant-garde. The emphasis on geometric forms, promoted by artists such as Kazimir Malevich, sought to establish a universal aesthetic language. Although Kandinsky adopted some of the geometric aspects of Suprematism and Constructivism, his belief in the expressive content of abstract forms alienated him from his Russian colleagues. Kandinsky's work synthesized Russian avant-garde art with a lyrical abstraction that includes dynamic compositional elements, resembling mountains, sun, and atmosphere that still refer to the landscape. This conflict led him to return to Germany.