Several Circles

In this painting, circles of varying colours and sizes float on a black background. Our eye is drawn to the largest circle over which many other circles overlap. This large circle which is a deep blue, has a bright white rim which blends in to the darkness around it. This stark contrast between light and dark stimulates the viewer, looking almost like a solar eclipse. The circles have different levels of transparency, and some circles can be seen underneath others, showing new colours as they combine hues. Kandinsky’s colour theory placed emphasis on the emotional connotations of colours, and their ability to move his audience. At the time of making this piece, Kandinsky was teaching at the Bauhaus School, which focussed on the pure forms of shapes and geometry in its architecture and costume design. We can see this geometrical Bauhaus influence in Kandinsky’s move towards Abstract Expressionism.