Im Grau

Im Grau continues the principle of constructing paintings around an interpenetration of the small, more or less hieroglyphic forms which Kandinsky had invented in Munich. The artist himself considered this great canvas as, "the end of his dramatic period." With this masterpiece from his Russian period, Kandinsky abandons his practice of splitting the frame in two, to instead paint the entire surface with an abstract composition that seems to dance within an infinite space. This painting stands out for its intensified use of geometrics and more muted coloring, which is set off by primary colors. In the left hand corner, the douga, which previously appeared in the painting Mit dem Schwarzen Bogen (Picture with a Black Arch), takes the evocative form of a star.