Cossacks (Detail of Composition IV) Vasily Kandinsky (1866-1944)

Description of Vasily Kandinsky’s painting "The Cossacks

The title of the painting by the Russian artist, one of the founders of such a trend in painting as abstractionism, Vasily Kandinsky is not taken out of thin air at all, but is based on real events: during the First Russian Revolution, Cossacks solemnly drove into Moscow. Impressed by this entry, the artist created this canvas.

Like most abstract works, at first glance it seems that the picture depicts a set of incomprehensible lines, figures and colors. However, this is not the case; the painter has everything in its place.

Here we really see five Cossacks. At the top left are two on horses with swords. At the bottom right, three more in red hats on the background of a blue mountain. Two of them are holding black pikes raised up, the third is holding a blue saber (saber) down. The men look noble and important.

Colors play a special role in the picture. A lot of white and blue represents life, novelty, rebirth, tranquility. At the same time, the presence of black speaks of tragedies, of death (which inevitably resulted from bloody revolutions). The red color can symbolize both bravery and fearlessness of the male warriors-cossacks, and blood - as an extension of the black color.

Lines are always essential in abstraction. In Kandinsky, the horizontals represent weakness, cowardice and fear; the verticals are, on the contrary, courage, fearlessness, bravery, patriotism and strength...

To summarize, we should say that the artist, applying brushstrokes one after another, created this picture easily, freely and even slightly carelessly, without pretentiousness, without excessive gloss. The viewer, looking at the Cossacks, feels this lightness, freedom covers his being, and he becomes an involuntary participant in the events depicted on the canvas.