Description
Pink Compensation is a painting by Wassily Kandinsky from 1933: on a warm ochre ground, many small rectangles, stripes, arches and U-shapes are packed together like a patchwork, lit up by a few pink and pale fields. 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: | Pink Compensation |
| Other titles: | Rosa Ausgleich |
| Painter: | Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) |
| Year: | 1933 |
| Original size: | 73 cm x 92 cm |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Available sizes: | eight sizes from 50 x 60 cm to 180 x 220 cm |
| Location: | Musée National d’Art Moderne (inv. no. AM 81-65-65) |
| Our reproduction: | hand-painted oil on canvas, made to measure on request |
Pink Compensation – Wassily Kandinsky
What can be seen in the painting?
The ground is warm ochre and olive brown, divided into large rectangles that surround the centre like a broad border, and inside it smaller rectangles are packed like a patchwork. At the upper left, a small ochre square contains a black square with a pink square in it, and beside it stands a panel of stacked grey and ochre triangles. Further right follow a tall pale grey-green rectangle with three dark vertical lines, a panel of dark brown, cream and pink stripes, and long brown wedges pointing left. In the row below are a dark red U-shape pointing left, a black U-shape with stripes, an open black frame and another grey-green panel with three vertical lines. Left of the centre is a pink square, and diagonally below it a lilac rectangle with five short dark lines; to the right, a wide black form encloses an ochre hook. Vertical stripes in pale grey-green, ochre and cream fill the left side of the inner field. In the lower half, a large cream arch frames a dark red arch, and a band of red and pale grey squares lies on the right. At the lower right rises a white and red arch, and at the lower left grey, violet and pink triangles meet in a bow shape above pink and ochre stripes.
Rhythm in warm fields
The composition works like a woven textile or a wall of tiles. The calm ochre border gives the dense centre room to breathe, while inside it small forms keep returning with variations: U-shapes, arches, stripes and short parallel lines appear again and again, each time in a new colour and a new direction. The warm browns and ochres hold everything together, and the few pale and pink fields act as points of light that lead the eye across the surface, from the pink square near the centre to the white arch at the lower right. No single form dominates, and the eye keeps finding pairs and echoes. On the wall the painting therefore looks warm and quiet from a distance and rich in detail from close up.
About the painting
Kandinsky painted it in 1933. The original is 92 cm high and 73 cm wide and belongs to the Musée National d’Art Moderne (inv. no. AM 81-65-65). On this page we give the width first, so the original reads 73 x 92 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 70 x 90 and 90 x 110 cm, where the details come into their own. The 50 x 60 and 60 x 70 cm sizes suit the wall above a desk or a hallway, and 111 x 139, 130 x 160, 150 x 190 and 180 x 220 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 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 Musée National d’Art Moderne (inv. no. AM 81-65-65). The work is recorded in Wikidata, and the photograph we paint from is on Wikimedia Commons.
How big is the original?
It measures 73 x 92 cm. We give the width first; the height is 92 cm. Our largest size is 180 x 220 cm.
When was the painting made?
In 1933.
What does the painting show?
Nothing figurative: a patchwork of rectangles on a warm ochre ground, with stripes, arches, U-shapes, a chequered band and short lines, and a pink square left of the centre.
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 70 x 90 and 90 x 110 cm work best, above a desk or in a hallway 50 x 60 and 60 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: a patchwork of rectangles, stripes and arches on a warm ochre ground, with pink and pale accents
- Original: Musée National d’Art Moderne, 1933, 73 x 92 cm
- Our version: hand-painted oil on canvas, eight sizes from 50 x 60 to 180 x 220 cm, on a wooden stretcher, framed on request
- Worth knowing: every painting is photographed before dispatch and sent to you for approval
