Color study: Squares with concentric circles

Wassily Kandinsky’s artwork, Color Study: Squares with Concentric Circles was painted in 1913 using watercolor, gouache, and crayon on paper. It is touted as one of the most famous works by the artist. The rings all share a center point inside these divisions since there are 12 separate parts of squares with concentric circles. This artwork, which is regarded as striking the ideal harmony of shape and color, contrasts not only various shapes with one another, as seen by the artist's use of squares and circles, but also vivid colors and their interactions. The artist also used triad tones, which are also primary shades of red, blue, and yellow, complimentary colors like blue and orange, analogous hues of red and orange, and complementary colors like orange and blue.

However, each pigment's brightness and intensity varies from circle to circle. The title of the artwork itself provides some context for the subject. It is a study or an examination that he could use as a tool while he examined other paintings to see how one hue interacts with another. But the artwork eventually developed into a finished piece that is praised for its original methodology. The geometric shapes in the picture have an almost random, organic sense to them. His use of gouache and watercolors only serves to amplify this impression, particularly given how the watercolors blend into one another. This method also gives light on Kandinsky's study of the interaction between colors and how it affects the spectator.

The artist himself acknowledged that his painting had a dual effect. Upon first glance, spectators would most likely be drawn to the physical impact brought about by his use of color. In a way, this evokes a physical reaction as if colors can be heard as well as seen, which is consistent with synesthesia, meaning having the ability to experience more than one sense at a time.

Location: Lenbachhaus, Munich, Germany
Style: Abstract
Year: 1913