Artwork
Panel for Edwin R. Campbell No. 3
Panel for Edwin R. Campbell No. 3 is an oil painting by the Abstract Expressionist artist Wassily Kandinsky. It dates from 1914 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Created in 1914, Panel for Edwin R.
About this work
The painting is called Panel for Edwin R. Campbell No. 3 by Wassily Kandinsky. It was made in 1914 using oil paint. The Museum of Modern Art holds this work, which is an interesting part of its collection because it shows Kandinsky's early experimentation. You can learn more about the artist's style and other works at the Museum of Modern Art.
Overview
Created in 1914, Panel for Edwin R. Campbell No. 3 is an oil painting by Wassily Kandinsky. The work resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. As an early example of Kandinsky’s move toward non‑representational composition, the panel exemplifies his shift from figurative training to pure abstraction.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on canvas, the panel employs Kandinsky’s developing abstract language of intersecting shapes, vibrant hues, and rhythmic brushwork.
Executed in oil on canvas, the panel employs Kandinsky’s developing abstract language of intersecting shapes, vibrant hues, and rhythmic brushwork. The composition balances geometric forms with lyrical color fields, reflecting the artist’s interest in visualizing musicality and spiritual resonance through paint. The piece anticipates later developments in abstract expressionism while retaining the tight control characteristic of his pre‑World War I period.
History & Provenance
Kandinsky painted the panel while living in Munich, where he had begun formal art studies after a career in law. The work entered the Museum of Modern Art’s holdings in the mid‑20th century, becoming part of the institution’s effort to document the evolution of early 20th‑century abstraction.
Context
The year 1914 placed the painting at the cusp of World War I, a time when Kandinsky was actively engaging with the avant‑garde circles of the German Belle Époque. His involvement with the Der Blaue Reiter group informed the panel’s emphasis on inner experience over external representation, aligning it with contemporary explorations of synesthesia and spiritual art.
Artist & collection
Artist
Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky (16 December 1866 – 13 December 1944) was a Russian painter and art theorist active in Germany during the late Belle Époque and Interwar eras.
