Disintegrated Tension, Kandinsky, 1930 Poster

Painted in 1930, Zersetzte Spannung (Disintegrated Tension) demonstrates the growing compositional complexity of Wassily Kandinsky’s paintings during the final years of the Dessau Bauhaus, as he continued to push the boundaries of his art to new levels of innovation. Combining a variety of strict geometrical shapes with intentionally loose colour patches, textured surface effects and discordant shades of non-primary colours, the painting is one of a small number of experimental works dating from the years 1929 to 1932 which sought to achieve unexpected spatial and illusory effects through the dynamic play of forms and colour. Often resulting in works which straddled the boundary between abstraction and figuration, these experiments were strongly shaped by the stimulating artistic dialogue Kandinsky shared with his close friend, colleague and neighbour, Paul Klee, during this time.