Landscape with factory chimney - Wassily Kandinsky

A 1910 Expressionist work by Wassily Kandinsky, featuring bold, non-naturalistic colours and energetic brushwork in a semi-abstract depiction of a rural scene.

Painted in 1910, this work captures the transition in Wassily Kandinsky's practice as he moved away from representational depiction toward a more subjective, emotive use of colour and form. During this period, Kandinsky spent time in Murnau, a village in the Bavarian Alps, where the surrounding geography provided the basis for many of his compositions.

In this piece, the subject matter is secondary to the application of paint. The factory chimney, while identifiable, is rendered through bold, non-naturalistic strokes that prioritise the artist's internal response to the scene. The palette is composed of high-chroma yellows, magentas, and deep blues, applied with a visible, energetic brushwork that creates a sense of movement across the canvas. The composition lacks traditional perspective, opting instead for a flattened arrangement of colour fields that interact with one another.

Kandinsky utilised these early experiments to explore the psychological effects of colour, a theory he would later formalise in his writings. The presence of the industrial chimney against the organic forms of the hills suggests a tension between the natural world and the encroaching modern environment. This work is characteristic of the period immediately preceding his complete shift into abstraction, showing the artist's interest in reducing objects to their essential visual components. The paint is applied with a heavy, deliberate hand, creating a textured surface that emphasises the physical act of creation. By stripping away fine detail, Kandinsky invites the viewer to engage with the painting as a collection of shapes and hues rather than a literal transcription of a specific place.