Description
A Motley Life is a painting by Wassily Kandinsky from 1907: a crowd of brightly dressed people fills a dark blue meadow dotted with colour, with a river, a wooded hill and a white hilltop town with green domes behind them. The original belongs to the Lenbachhaus. 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: | A Motley Life |
| Other titles: | Das bunte Leben |
| Painter: | Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) |
| Year: | 1907 |
| Original size: | 162.5 cm x 130 cm |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Available sizes: | eight sizes from 50 x 40 cm to 163 x 130 cm |
| Location: | Lenbachhaus (inv. no. FH 225) |
| Our reproduction: | hand-painted oil on canvas, made to measure on request |
A Motley Life – Wassily Kandinsky
What can be seen in the painting?
The ground is a dark blue meadow sprinkled with small dots of colour, and the whole scene is painted in short, bright dabs. At the top the sky is a dark blue-green, with pink and lilac clouds on the left. At the top centre a white walled town with green domes stands on the crest of a large dark hill covered in green strokes and trees. On the left a blue river winds past a small red church, and a few small figures run across the far meadow. On the right, beside a tall dark tree trunk, rises a church with a blue-green spire and a golden dome, next to a field of white crosses. In the foreground a dense crowd fills the meadow. On the left stand a woman in a white headscarf and a red dotted skirt and a figure in black and another with a tall black hat. In the centre an old man with a long green and white beard walks with a staff, and beside him is a woman in a white veil and a red and white headdress. Behind them several people raise sticks. On the right a fair-haired girl in white stands near a figure playing a flute. At the bottom a small white cat sits beside a red-haired girl in pink, and at the lower left are children in white and blue.
A meadow full of figures
The composition is built not around one centre but from many small scenes. The large figures in the foreground form a loose band along the lower edge, and above them the crowd thins out towards the river, the hill and the town. The eye wanders from one figure to the next, from the bearded old man to the figure with the flute and the girl in pink. The dark blue ground holds the countless bright dabs together and lets the reds, yellows and whites glow. The light town at the top and the white crosses on the right give the dark upper half points of light. On the wall the painting works like a story full of characters, in which there is always something new to find.
About the painting
Kandinsky painted it in 1907. The original is 130 cm high and 162.5 cm wide and belongs to the Lenbachhaus (inv. no. FH 225). On this page we give the width first, so the original reads 162.5 x 130 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 dark ground gives the painting great strength, so it needs a calm, light wall on which it can really glow. It suits a modern room with white or light grey walls best; next to other dark works on the same wall it would lose its force. 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 70 and 100 x 80 cm, where the details come into their own. The 50 x 40 and 80 x 60 cm sizes suit the wall above a desk or a hallway, and 110 x 90, 120 x 100, 140 x 110 and 163 x 130 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 black or dark wooden frame, because it continues the dark ground, while a wide, ornate gold frame would compete with the colours in the centre.
Delivery and guarantee
Because every painting on canvas is painted only after you order, in our studio in Slovenia, 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 Lenbachhaus (inv. no. FH 225). The work is recorded in Wikidata, and the photograph we paint from is on Wikimedia Commons.
How big is the original?
It measures 162.5 x 130 cm. We give the width first; the height is 130 cm. Our largest size is 163 x 130 cm.
When was the painting made?
In 1907.
What does the painting show?
A crowd of colourfully dressed people on a dark blue meadow, with a bearded old man, women in headscarves and children, and behind them a river, churches and a white town on a hill.
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 70 and 100 x 80 cm work best, above a desk or in a hallway 50 x 40 and 80 x 60 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: colourful crowd on a dark blue meadow, with a river, churches and a white town on a hill
- Original: Lenbachhaus, 1907, 162.5 x 130 cm
- Our version: hand-painted oil on canvas, eight sizes from 50 x 40 to 163 x 130 cm, on a wooden stretcher, framed on request
- Worth knowing: every painting is photographed before dispatch and sent to you for approval
