Response

Kandinsky explained that to him, the circle is “a link with the cosmic,” “the synthesis of the greatest oppositions,” and the form that “points most clearly to the fourth dimension." I don’t get quite all that from a couple of circles, but it definitely made me reexamine the piece.

Upon first glace, it just appeared to be colored circles on a black background. But really, the background is not just black. There are some softer gray portions – almost swirls – that make the circles seem more fluid and not just stuck to the canvas. The circles themselves are not just blobs of color, but rather have been deliberately layered so that different colors interact by mixing or superposition. Kandinsky was purposeful – for example, where circles overlap, the resulting color is not necessarily a simple blend of the two colors.