Description
Grey Oval is a painting by Wassily Kandinsky from 1917: inside a mottled grey surround, a large black-edged oval is crowded with jagged peaks, spiky bundles of lines, curved bands and bright patches of yellow, blue, pink and green. The original belongs to the Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts. 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: | Grey Oval |
| Other titles: | Graues Oval |
| Painter: | Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) |
| Year: | 1917 |
| Original size: | 133.5 cm x 105 cm |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Available sizes: | eight sizes from 60 x 50 cm to 180 x 140 cm |
| Location: | Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts (inv. no. 391) |
| Our reproduction: | hand-painted oil on canvas, made to measure on request |
Grey Oval – Wassily Kandinsky
What can be seen in the painting?
A mottled grey ground flecked with darker spots frames a large irregular oval edged in thick black. Inside the oval, colourful forms press together. At the upper left arcs a pink and red crescent, edged with black and green teeth. Below it a spiky bundle of fine lines in yellow, green and black spreads out, dotted with coloured specks. At the top centre rises a tall pale yellow triangle with a pink glow and several black holes, and to its left a smaller peak, also spotted with black. At the upper right is a pale yellow disc with a blue centre. Near the right edge a small comb-like form in blue and red points outwards. A long thin black line slants down from the upper right to the lower right of centre, crossing the disc and a black arc. In the middle a knot of small forms gathers: a little grid, short hatch marks and a tiny cluster of red, yellow and blue. Below the centre lies a broad blue area with a thick black hook and a small green half-disc, and a wavy band of magenta, pink and green runs along the bottom of the oval. At the lower right a reddish-brown crescent ends in small coloured balls, and pale yellow triangles break through the oval’s lower edge.
A crowded oval
The grey surround acts like a quiet frame, so all the energy gathers inside the black-edged oval. The tall pale triangle at the top and the long black diagonal give the crowded centre a firm structure, while the curved bands below swing the eye from right to left. Light patches of yellow and pale blue alternate with deep black, so the surface seems to swell and recede. Thin black lines cross the coloured patches and give even the brightest areas a clear contour. The eye never settles on one fixed point; it circles from the pink crescent at the upper left past the yellow disc and down to the magenta band. On the wall it feels dense and intense, yet its dark outline binds it into a whole.
About the painting
Kandinsky painted it in 1917. The original is 105 cm high and 133.5 cm wide and belongs to the Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts (inv. no. 391). On this page we give the width first, so the original reads 133.5 x 105 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 80 x 60 and 90 x 70 cm, where the details come into their own. The 60 x 50 and 70 x 55 cm sizes suit the wall above a desk or a hallway, and 100 x 78, 120 x 90, 150 x 120 and 180 x 140 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 Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts (inv. no. 391). The work is recorded in Wikidata, and the photograph we paint from is on Wikimedia Commons.
How big is the original?
It measures 133.5 x 105 cm. We give the width first; the height is 105 cm. Our largest size is 180 x 140 cm.
When was the painting made?
In 1917.
What does the painting show?
Nothing figurative: a large black-edged oval on a mottled grey ground, filled with jagged peaks, a spiky bundle of lines, a pale yellow disc, curved bands and bright patches of colour.
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 80 x 60 and 90 x 70 cm work best, above a desk or in a hallway 60 x 50 and 70 x 55 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: large black-edged oval with jagged peaks, spiky bundles of lines and curved bands on a mottled grey ground
- Original: Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts, 1917, 133.5 x 105 cm
- Our version: hand-painted oil on canvas, eight sizes from 60 x 50 to 180 x 140 cm, on a wooden stretcher, framed on request
- Worth knowing: every painting is photographed before dispatch and sent to you for approval
