Footnotes

Provenance
J.B. Neumann, New York (acquired directly from the artist in May 1935).
Nierendorf Gallery, New York, no. 162 (acquired by July 1942).
Zoe Dusanne Gallery, Seattle.
Private collection (acquired from the above in the late 1950s).
Private collection, Seattle (by descent from the above); their sale, Sotheby's, New York, 5 November 2014, lot 152.
Acquired at the above sale by the late owner.

Exhibited
Berlin, Galerie Ferdinand Möller, Sonder-Ausstellung W. Kandinsky: Zeichnungen 1910-1931, Neue Aquarelle, Grafik, February 1932, no. 68 (later travelled to Saarbrücken).
Stockholm, Gummesons Konsthall, Kandinsky, 15-30 September 1932, no. 36.

Literature
The artist's handlist, Watercolours, no. 423.
V.E. Barnett, Kandinsky, Watercolours, Catalogue Raisonné, Vol. II, 1922-1944, New York, 1994, no. 1033 (illustration of the artist's sketch in the handlist p. 307).


The circle... is the synthesis of the greatest oppositions. [It] combines the concentric and the excentric in a single form, and in equilibrium. Of the three primary forms [triangle, square, circle], it points most clearly to the fourth dimension.
- Kandinsky quoted in A. Zander Rudenstine, The Guggenheim Museum, Vol. I, Paintings 1880–1945, New York, 1976, p. 310.

Wassily Kandinsky's Entrückt stands as a luminous example of the artist's inimitable visual language, encapsulating the delicate interplay between abstraction, symbolism and the transformative power of light. Emerging from the vibrant intellectual milieu of the Bauhaus, where Kandinsky honed his theories on the spiritual and emotional potency of colour, Entrückt reflects a mature artist deeply engaged with the metaphysical dimensions of creation.

Visually, Entrückt unfolds as a masterful orchestration of light, colour and form. In it, delicate washes of watercolour are layered to achieve soft, complex gradations - favouring the artist's characteristic palette of pinks and yellows - that evoke the ephemeral quality of light as it transforms throughout the day. Superimposed and hazy, Kandinsky's forms take on a dreamlike quality, echoing celestial spheres caught in the shifting phases of a solar eclipse. These repeated circles, strategically placed within an aura of diagonal lines, seem to function like the motifs of a symphony, one that resonates with the subtle dynamism of a cosmic dance. The artist's methodical layering of geometric archetypes, reminiscent of his rigorous Bauhaus training, harmonises the abstract with the tangible, inviting the viewer into a transcendent space rendered in pure, evocative forms. The interplay of bold, defined shapes with fluid, soft washes creates an atmospheric dialogue between order and spontaneity, a duality that lies at the heart of Kandinsky's vision.

Beyond its aesthetic allure, Entrückt serves as a meditation on the synthesis of symbolism and abstraction that defined Kandinsky's later work. The title itself - suggestive of being 'entranced' or 'raptured' - encapsulates the spiritual and philosophical mysteries that weave through the artist's mature work. Kandinsky's deep theosophical interests are palpable in this composition, as he sought to renew the arts by championing the autonomy of colour and form. By reducing his pictorial vocabulary to a series of geometric motifs, the artist interrogates the very nature of perception and existence, creating a layered dialogue between the visible and the invisible. In doing so, Kandinsky navigates the tension between the linear and the organic, the free and the exact - a dialogue that not only mirrors his own internal introspection but also reaffirms his belief in the universality of artistic expression. This work is both a visual and metaphysical journey, one that compels the viewer to contemplate the profound relationship between the microcosm of the individual self and the macrocosm of the natural world.

Initially acquired by J.B. Neumann - a pioneering art dealer and critic who was instrumental in promoting Kandinsky and his contemporaries - Entrückt reflects the dynamic exchange of ideas among leading avant-garde circles of the early twentieth century. Neumann's gallery, known for its commitment to progressive art and its support of artists such as Max Beckmann, Paul Klee, and Georges Rouault, served as a vital nexus for the dissemination of radical ideas that challenged conventional artistic paradigms. Additionally, the work's inclusion in comprehensive solo exhibitions in Berlin and Stockholm in the early 1930s affirmed its international critical reception, as the artist's singular ability to fuse scientific rigour, biological motifs and cosmic symbolism within a framework that balances tradition with innovation left an indelible mark on the evolution of abstract art. As such, Entrückt stands as a potent reminder of the artist's lifelong quest to harmonise the principles of design and introspection, inviting viewers to experience a universe where every brushstroke is imbued with the totality of natural laws. In this, the artist reaffirms his belief in the transformative power of art - a synthesis of colour, line and form that transcends the immediate to reveal deeper truths about our existence.