Description
Around the Circle is a painting by Wassily Kandinsky from 1940: on a dark slate-grey ground, a red ring around a black disc stands out at the top, and bright patchwork forms, small ellipses and scattered specks spread around it. The original belongs to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. We make it as a hand-painted reproduction in oil on canvas, in five sizes or made to measure, and before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished work to approve.
| Title: | Around the Circle |
| Other titles: | Um den Kreis |
| Painter: | Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) |
| Year: | 1940 |
| Original size: | 146.4 cm x 96.8 cm |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Available sizes: | five sizes from 80 x 50 cm to 160 x 110 cm |
| Location: | Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (inv. no. 49.1222) |
| Our reproduction: | hand-painted oil on canvas, made to measure on request |
Around the Circle – Wassily Kandinsky
What can be seen in the painting?
Brightly coloured forms are scattered across a dark slate-grey ground. At the top, left of centre, is a large red ring around a black disc with a small yellow dot; between ring and disc runs a grey band set with small coloured rectangles. Behind the ring, to its upper right, rises a large violet segment. From the ring a long curved band sweeps up towards the upper right: pale and cream in the middle with an orange wavy line, dark green below with a pink drop, and ending in a diamond pattern of violet, yellow and blue. In the upper left stands a cluster of rounded patchwork forms in ochre, blue, pink and green, with zigzags and dots, with thin white lines trailing towards the left edge; tiny coloured specks and small crosses are scattered beside it. On the right a large blue-green form with coloured dots and a yellow patch like a wing rises into a chequered neck and a small head-like form in profile. At the lower left are a narrow striped strip, a black stick with an orange tip and a black square behind a green panel. In the centre float six small ellipses, and at the lower right are a patchwork crescent, rows of white and orange arcs and a pointed triangular form.
Colour against the dark
The dark ground makes every colour glow, so even the smallest speck is clearly seen. The heavy red ring at the top is the calm centre, and the long curved band leads the eye from it towards the upper right. From there the gaze drops to the blue-green form on the right, crosses the small ellipses in the middle and returns to the patchwork cluster on the left. Large and tiny forms alternate, so the surface feels lively but never crowded, with dark space left between the groups. Red, yellow and blue recur in different parts of the surface and so link even distant groups. On the wall it reads like a lively collection of small colourful things, and every time you look you discover a new detail.
About the painting
Kandinsky painted it in 1940. The original is 96.8 cm high and 146.4 cm wide and belongs to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (inv. no. 49.1222). On this page we give the width first, so the original reads 146.4 x 96.8 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 120 x 80 and 140 x 90 cm, where the details come into their own. The 80 x 50 and 100 x 70 cm sizes suit the wall above a desk or a hallway, and 160 x 110 cm a large wall above a sofa or in an entrance hall. All five 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 Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (inv. no. 49.1222). The work is recorded in Wikidata, and the photograph we paint from is on Wikimedia Commons.
How big is the original?
It measures 146.4 x 96.8 cm. We give the width first; the height is 96.8 cm. Our largest size is 160 x 110 cm.
When was the painting made?
In 1940.
What does the painting show?
Nothing figurative: colourful forms on a dark grey ground, a red ring around a black disc, a curved patchwork band, a cluster of rounded forms at the upper left, small ellipses and scattered specks.
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 120 x 80 and 140 x 90 cm work best, above a desk or in a hallway 80 x 50 and 100 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: red ring around a black disc, curved patchwork band, small ellipses and specks on dark grey ground
- Original: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1940, 146.4 x 96.8 cm
- Our version: hand-painted oil on canvas, five sizes from 80 x 50 to 160 x 110 cm, on a wooden stretcher, framed on request
- Worth knowing: every painting is photographed before dispatch and sent to you for approval
