Description
Rigid and Curved is a painting by Wassily Kandinsky from 1935: on a deep brown ground, upright bars held in a pale shape on the left face a large violet mass crossed in the centre by a curving dark band. The original belongs to the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design. 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: | Rigid and Curved |
| Other titles: | Starr und gekrümmt |
| Painter: | Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) |
| Year: | 1935 |
| Original size: | 162 cm x 114 cm |
| Original technique: | Oil and sand on canvas |
| Available sizes: | five sizes from 80 x 50 cm to 158 x 106 cm |
| Location: | National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design |
| Our reproduction: | hand-painted oil on canvas, made to measure on request |
Rigid and Curved – Wassily Kandinsky
What can be seen in the painting?
The ground is a deep chocolate brown, and flat, clearly outlined forms in muted violet, grey, olive and cream lie across it. Along the left edge stands a tall cream-white shape with a wavy outline, holding upright grey, beige and grey-green bars; a speckled brown bar crosses them at a slant, and at the top sits a golden-brown form with rounded lobes, like a leaf. Beside it floats a small grey-green loop with gold netting inside, pierced by a thin gold line. The middle is filled by a large speckled violet shape with a billowing outline. Across it a dark blue band bends in a wide arc, turning olive green and carrying pale hooks, a pale wavy line and tiny coloured marks. Below it lie pale yellow, grey and lavender panels dotted with small rings, and at the bottom a small cream tablet holds a grey drop. At the top are a white half-disc with a grey crescent, a gold spike, a bundle of grey bars and a pink crescent, and at the upper right a speckled copper dome, pale triangles, a violet triangle and a grey-green dot. On the right edge a thin grey-blue figure with a head recalling a bird rises above a looping gold line, and a large red-brown disc lies beside the arc.
Straight bars and a curve
The composition sets straight against curved. The upright bars on the left stand stiff and still, while the dark band in the centre bends in a wide arc, so the eye passes from rest into motion. The brown ground stays calm and lets the muted violets, greys and creams glow; the few warm accents, the red-brown discs and the gold lines, are spread so that the gaze keeps circling the central mass. The pale triangles at the upper right and the thin figure on the right edge balance the heavy column on the left. Every area is flat and clearly outlined, so each form stays legible. On the wall it therefore looks quiet and warm, yet there is always one more small sign to discover.
About the painting
Kandinsky painted it in 1935. The original is 114 cm high and 162 cm wide and belongs to the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design. On this page we give the width first, so the original reads 162 x 114 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 158 x 106 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 National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design. The work is recorded in Wikidata, and the photograph we paint from is on Wikimedia Commons.
How big is the original?
It measures 162 x 114 cm. We give the width first; the height is 114 cm. Our largest size is 158 x 106 cm.
When was the painting made?
In 1935.
What does the painting show?
Nothing figurative: flat forms on a deep brown ground, upright bars in a pale shape on the left, a large violet mass with a curving dark band in the centre, discs, triangles and gold lines.
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: upright bars and a curving dark band among violet, grey and cream forms on a deep brown ground
- Original: National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, 1935, 162 x 114 cm
- Our version: hand-painted oil on canvas, five sizes from 80 x 50 to 158 x 106 cm, on a wooden stretcher, framed on request
- Worth knowing: every painting is photographed before dispatch and sent to you for approval
