“Sharp-Quiet” is one of several works of Bauhaus period where a system “a triangle and a circle” is a central compositional motif. Kandinsky considered triangle and circle to be “the two primary and most strongly contrasting plane figures.” Among other things, he taught his students in Bauhaus to express emotions through interaction of abstract forms. For example, students had the task to express aggression by dominant triangle or calmness by a dominant square.

“Sharp-Quiet” is a shining example of an ordered composition. Its beauty, dynamics and balance are determined by the stability of the internal space where triangles, circles, and crescents interact. This is a game of contrasts between the soft, warm, and harmonious colors and clear and uncompromising geometry.


21 June 2011 sold for $4,8 million on Christie's

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