Beach Baskets in Holland

Big fish in the sea of art

Among the prominent artists of the XX century, one should definitely mention Wassily Kandinsky. This famous Russian painter developed his own, easily recognizable style and started a whole new tendency in visual arts spawning a large number of related directions. His work, almost a century old, still remains relevant and intriguing in our time. But before we start talking about the artist’s heritage and this very painting in particular, it makes sense to learn a bit about himself.

Interesting facts about Wassily Kandinsky

• - He started painting at the age of 30. Late bloomer, for sure!
• - Kandinsky created one of the first officially acknowledged works of abstract art.
• - According to the sources, the artist experienced a rare psychological phenomenon called synesthesia. To put it simple, he had mixed senses and could, for instance, ‘hear’ colors or ‘smell’ sounds. That might explain his unusual manner of painting.

A landscape that makes you wonder

Few people know that, at the initial stage of his career, Kandinsky drew inspiration from Claude Monet and his works exemplifying innovative techniques like pointillism. That’s why his early landscapes are so evocative of French Impressionists and their own best paintings. ‘Beach Baskets in Holland’ suggest his own outlook on landscape painting.

The canvas shows a desolate beach that extends almost across the entire canvas. Warm hues of yellow, ochre and brown are combined marvelously to create vibrant sand texture. Specks of darker colors on the light-painted background suggest pebbles and shells scattered over the beach. In the distance, there is a patch of dark blue sea merging with a clouded sky. That’s probably why the beach is so empty – people are simply afraid of the approaching storm. But the most mysterious part of the painting is definitely the long row of baskets in the background. Abandoned and pointless, they loom against the overcast sky like silent witnesses or harbingers whose message is impossible to figure out. The artist depicted them boldly and monumentally, with each of the baskets casting a distinct shadow. This gives the scenery a strange, a bit ominous singularity.

Kandinsky’s landscape will take a prominent place among other beach paintings decorating your house. Add a premium hand-painted reproduction of this atmospheric canvas to your art collection right now by purchasing it online on DocoArt!