Landscape with Factory Chimney by Wassily Kandinsky

Landscape with Factory Chimney dates from 1910, which was a period in which Kandinsky was focusing mainly on abstract landscape artworks, many of which would end up in the collection of the Guggenheim Museum.

The factory chimneys jut into the sky in striking tones of red. This bright piece verges on Fauvist in how the original tones that the artist would have seen are almost entirely replaced with his contemporary use of yellow, purple and blue. There is enough of a connection to reality with greens on the tips of the hills and blue across the sky to help us immediately recognise the compositional elements, but then the rest diverges into the world of Kandinsky where traditional thinking is thrown away and a more expressive style is used. It is artworks such as this that have proven so popular even today, with a contemporary look that feels fresh, even though the painting is actually over a century old. The artist added further interest with additional buildings dotted around the background as well as some foliage closer to us in the foreground, with perhaps flowers or fruits carefully displayed.

The Guggenheim have allowed some of these artworks to be loaned out from time to time in order that some impressive Kandinsky exhbitions could be curated. The public today appear to be more interested in understanding the full oeuvre of the artist, rather than just focusing on the major highlights of his career which are normally regarded as the likes of Composition VII and Composition VIII. Even his drawings have started to receive interest today, which allows curators to be more creative in the way in which they source and display different items.

Landschaft mit Fabrikschornstein, to use its original German title, can now be found in the collection of the Guggenheim Museum. They have acquired several Kandinsky paintings over the years, and these generally fit into the same genre of his early abstract landscape scenes. It is rare to find so much of his work under one roof within the US, making this an important venue to visit for those interested in his work in that country. Most of his major works are still located in Europe, with the city of Munich hosting a good selection of his lesser known pieces. He was able to establish himself as an international artist, well known and respected across the entire western world and he continues to excite art fans in the present day, with perhaps Squares with Concentric Circles being his most famous work of all.