Composition VIII

Composition VIII consists of a variety of geometric shapes, colours, straight and curved lines set against a background of cream that melds at specific points into areas of pale blue. The painting, eighth in an installment dating back to 1911, was the first of his compositions to be painted since the outbreak of the First World War. Kandinsky, having spent several years in Germany before returning to Russia at the outbreak of World War One, was able to re-connect with the avant-garde current in Germany and begin composing again. Composition VIII, drawing on influences of the previous nine years, is an expression of Kandinsky's internalised vision in the abstract form. The use of circles, grids, rectangles, triangles, and other mathematical forms in the artwork is consistent with the painter's belief in the mystical properties of geometric shapes. At the same time, the colours are chosen for emotional impact.