Description
Development in Brown is a painting by Wassily Kandinsky from 1933: on a warm, light brown ground, tall tilted brown and dark green planes frame a pale central strip of small coloured triangles, with a thin black ring at the upper right. The original belongs to the Musée National d’Art Moderne. We make it as a hand-painted reproduction in oil on canvas, in eight sizes or made to measure, and before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished work to approve.
| Title: | Development in Brown |
| Other titles: | Entwicklung in Braun |
| Painter: | Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) |
| Year: | 1933 |
| Original size: | 120.5 cm x 101 cm |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Available sizes: | eight sizes from 60 x 50 cm to 200 x 170 cm |
| Location: | Musée National d’Art Moderne (inv. no. AM 3666 P) |
| Our reproduction: | hand-painted oil on canvas, made to measure on request |
Development in Brown – Wassily Kandinsky
What can be seen in the painting?
The ground is a warm, light brown, mottled and slightly darker towards the lower right. Across it stand tall, tilted planes, like the leaves of a half-opened book. On the left a tall ochre rectangle reaches from just below the top edge to the middle, with a large olive-brown half circle behind it lower down, and high up by the left edge two short bars carry pink and pale blue dashes. Left of centre come dark brown and blackish green planes, crossed by a thin red horizontal line running from the left to the central strip. That strip is narrow, pale cream and slightly slanted: a column of small triangles in blue, pink, green, red, grey and yellow climbs it, and three dark crescents are stacked along its right side. At its foot a fan of blue-grey rays ends in a pointed, notched edge, and above it pale brown rays spread towards the upper right. Right of centre stand a brown plane and a dark green one, reaching almost to the bottom. At the upper right a thin black ring overlaps a dark teal plane and a translucent pink-violet one, beside a pale yellow rectangle and a small green square. Lower right, translucent brown and pinkish rectangles overlap, and below the strip lie three short dark bars.
Planes around a pale strip
The composition works like a stage that opens onto light. The tall dark planes on both sides press inwards and make the narrow pale strip in the middle glow, so the eye goes there first. It climbs the column of small triangles, follows the three crescents upwards and then drifts along the rays to the right, where the thin black ring balances the ochre rectangle and the half circle on the left. The palette stays within warm browns, with only small accents of blue, pink, green and red, so the whole feels calm and even. The slight tilt of every plane adds a quiet movement, as if the forms were slowly unfolding before you. On the wall it creates a warm, collected mood.
About the painting
Kandinsky painted it in 1933. The original is 101 cm high and 120.5 cm wide and belongs to the Musée National d’Art Moderne (inv. no. AM 3666 P). On this page we give the width first, so the original reads 120.5 x 101 cm here. Our painter works from a public-domain photograph of the original, so the subject can be carried faithfully onto the canvas, from the arrangement of the forms to the individual shades of colour.
How is our hand-painted version made?
The painter works from a high-resolution reference and builds the painting up in layers, with brush and oil paint. First the arrangement of the main forms is sketched in thin paint, then the colours go on layer by layer, from the large areas down to the smallest details. The edges of the forms and the transitions between colours are compared with the reference until the proportions match. An oil painting reproduction keeps its colours for many years, because oil does not fade the way a print does. Since every reproduction is made individually, no two copies match down to the last detail; the subject, the proportions and the colours do. Depending on the size, painting takes several days, and the paint then needs enough time to dry before the canvas is packed.
Hand-painted, not printed
You can see the difference between a print and a hand-painted canvas as soon as you look at the work from the side: the brushstrokes form a slight relief that shows in raking light and can be felt with the fingertips. Whether it is a landscape, a figurative subject or an abstract painting, every shade is mixed on the palette and applied by hand. Before dispatch we photograph the finished work and send you the photograph to approve, so you know exactly what you will receive. Only when you are happy does it go on its way. Small irregularities in the brushwork are not flaws but the trace of the hand that painted it, and they are exactly what makes each copy one of a kind.
Which interior suits it?
The earthy, muted colours give the painting a quiet warmth, so it suits a calm room, a study or a bedroom, next to natural wood, linen and stone. It works best on a warm white, beige or light grey wall; next to very bright, saturated works on the same wall its softer tones would be lost. Hang it with its centre at about eye level, roughly 150 cm from the floor; above a sofa or sideboard, leave a gap of 20 to 30 cm. In a bedroom a medium size above the bed works well, and in a hallway or on a narrow wall a smaller size hung at eye level.
Which size for which wall?
As a painting for the living room it works best at 90 x 80 and 110 x 90 cm, where the details come into their own. The 60 x 50 and 80 x 70 cm sizes suit the wall above a desk or a hallway, and 120 x 100, 142 x 120, 180 x 150 and 200 x 170 cm a large wall above a sofa or in an entrance hall. All eight sizes are listed in the size selector; the price depends on the size you choose. A simple rule helps: above a sofa or a sideboard the painting looks best at about two thirds of the furniture’s width, and on an empty wall choose a size that leaves at least 30 to 40 cm of free wall on each side.
Custom sizes, stretcher and frame
If none of the sizes fits your wall, we paint this Kandinsky reproduction to your measurements; that is our painting made to measure, and we tell you how the composition adapts to the new proportions. Every canvas is stretched on a wooden stretcher. A frame is optional and not included in the base price. If you would like a frame, the best choice for this work is a narrow natural or dark wooden frame, because it picks up the earthy tones, while a bright white or wide gold frame would outshine the muted colours.
Delivery and guarantee
Because every painting on canvas is painted only after you order, in our studio, allow 15 to 45 days depending on the size you choose. We ship protected, insured and tracked, within the EU without customs. If anything is wrong on arrival, get in touch and we will put it right. All our works by Kandinsky are collected in the Wassily Kandinsky gallery, and the painter is introduced in our article about Wassily Kandinsky. Related works we paint include Red Spot II, White Cross and Succession.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the original?
It belongs to the Musée National d’Art Moderne (inv. no. AM 3666 P). The work is recorded in Wikidata, and the photograph we paint from is on Wikimedia Commons.
How big is the original?
It measures 120.5 x 101 cm. We give the width first; the height is 101 cm. Our largest size is 200 x 170 cm.
When was the painting made?
In 1933.
What does the painting show?
Nothing figurative: tilted planes in brown and dark green on a warm brown ground, a pale strip of coloured triangles and crescents in the middle, and a thin black ring at the upper right.
Is this a print?
No. It is a canvas painting, painted by hand in oil; the brushstrokes show in raking light and can be felt with the fingertips.
Which size should I choose?
For a living room 90 x 80 and 110 x 90 cm work best, above a desk or in a hallway 60 x 50 and 80 x 70 cm. Before deciding, tape a sheet of paper of the chosen size to the wall and leave it there for a day.
Can I have a size that is not on the list?
Yes. We also paint sizes outside the list and tell you how the forms will be arranged.
How is it delivered?
Insured and tracked, within the EU without customs. Before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished painting to approve.
How do I care for the painting?
Remove dust with a soft, dry brush or cloth, without water or cleaning agents. Hang the painting away from direct sun, radiators and damp, and it will keep its colours for many years.
Is the original for sale, and what is it worth?
It is not for sale and has no market price. It belongs to a museum collection and stays there; what we offer is a hand-painted copy, not the original, and we never confuse the two.
Is the painting suitable as a gift?
Yes, especially for someone who loves Kandinsky’s forms and colours. If you are unsure about the subject or the size, there is a gift voucher, and the choice stays with the person who receives it.
- Subject: tilted brown and dark green planes around a pale strip of coloured triangles, with a thin black ring
- Original: Musée National d’Art Moderne, 1933, 120.5 x 101 cm
- Our version: hand-painted oil on canvas, eight sizes from 60 x 50 to 200 x 170 cm, on a wooden stretcher, framed on request
- Worth knowing: every painting is photographed before dispatch and sent to you for approval
