Description
Landscape with Two Poplars is a painting by Wassily Kandinsky from 1912: a landscape of bright colour patches with two tall trees at the centre, a yellow path running into the distance, small houses and dark blue mountain peaks beneath a striped sky. The original belongs to the Art Institute of Chicago. 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: | Landscape with Two Poplars |
| Other titles: | Landschaft mit zwei Pappeln |
| Painter: | Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) |
| Year: | 1912 |
| Original size: | 100 cm x 79 cm |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Available sizes: | five sizes from 80 x 60 cm to 142 x 114 cm |
| Location: | Art Institute of Chicago |
| Our reproduction: | hand-painted oil on canvas, made to measure on request |
Landscape with Two Poplars – Wassily Kandinsky
What can be seen in the painting?
The sky is laid in broad diagonal stripes of pink, yellow, pale turquoise and white, and beneath it rise dark blue mountain peaks with sharp points. Two tall trees stand near the centre. The left one is red and brown, with a ragged, flame-like crown that climbs right up to the top edge. The right one is a slender dark green spindle that tapers downwards to a thin pale trunk split into two lines that reach the meadow. Between the trees lies a band of deep blue and turquoise. To the left of the red tree a narrow, ladder-like structure of green lines leans towards the sky. At the far right stands a turquoise-blue house with a pointed gable and a red-brown roof cut off by the top edge, and at the left a small pinkish-red house sits among red and green fields. A yellow path begins broad at the bottom edge, narrows and runs towards the centre, where it meets a band of ochre and a pale blue patch. Beside the path lie round bushes in red, deep blue and green, and to the right two brown bushes stand above a strip of pink. The lower right is a large green meadow, the lower left a field of red and pink, and a deep blue wedge closes the bottom edge.
Diagonals and bright colour
The composition is driven by diagonals. The yellow path pulls the eye from the bottom edge deep into the landscape, while the stripes of the sky slant the other way, so the view seems to open up like a fan. Almost everything in the scene is in motion. The two upright trees stand against this movement and give the scene its firm centre; one warm, one cool, they answer each other across the path. The colours are set side by side at full strength, red beside green, yellow beside deep blue, and each contrast makes the other colour glow brighter. The houses at either edge frame the view like the wings of a stage. On the wall it looks sunny and full of energy, with the brushwork visible in every patch.
About the painting
Kandinsky painted it in 1912. The original is 79 cm high and 100 cm wide and belongs to the Art Institute of Chicago. On this page we give the width first, so the original reads 100 x 79 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 warm, saturated colours make the painting glow, so it looks good in a living room or dining room, next to natural wood and quiet furniture. It works best on a light, neutral wall; next to other very colourful works on the same wall the colours would drown each other out. 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 100 x 80 and 120 x 100 cm, where the details come into their own. The 80 x 60 and 90 x 70 cm sizes suit the wall above a desk or a hallway, and 142 x 114 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 natural or dark wooden frame, because it calms and holds the colours together, while a wide, ornate gold frame would compete with the painter’s colours.
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 Art Institute of Chicago. The work is recorded in Wikidata, and the photograph we paint from is on Wikimedia Commons.
How big is the original?
It measures 100 x 79 cm. We give the width first; the height is 79 cm. Our largest size is 142 x 114 cm.
When was the painting made?
In 1912.
What does the painting show?
A landscape with two tall trees in the middle, one red and one dark green, a yellow path leading into the distance, small houses on both sides, dark blue mountains and a striped sky.
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 100 x 80 and 120 x 100 cm work best, above a desk or in a hallway 80 x 60 and 90 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: landscape with two tall trees, a yellow path, small houses, dark blue mountains and a striped sky
- Original: Art Institute of Chicago, 1912, 100 x 79 cm
- Our version: hand-painted oil on canvas, five sizes from 80 x 60 to 142 x 114 cm, on a wooden stretcher, framed on request
- Worth knowing: every painting is photographed before dispatch and sent to you for approval
