Aquarell für Poul Bjerre by Wassily Kandinsky, 1916

Wassily Kandinsky’s Aquarell für Poul Bjerre (1916) arrives from a pivotal moment in the artist’s evolution, when he turned decisively toward abstraction in the turbulent years around World War I. Painted in watercolor, the work replaces literal representation with a lyrical orchestration of color, line, and form. Its title nods to the Swedish psychiatrist Poul Bjerre, hinting at the intimate exchanges within Kandinsky’s intellectual circle and the era’s fascination with the inner life. What you see is a world of fluid, layered shapes where hints of landscape and figure seem to surface and dissolve—a visual language aimed at conveying feeling and spiritual intensity.

This fine art print is produced to gallery standards by The Unique Maps Co., available on acid-free archival paper or artist’s cotton canvas. Choose from a range of sizes and handcrafted framing options to suit your space. Personalization is also available—add a titleplate, inscription, or custom margin notes with the artist’s name and date, and consult us for bespoke sizing or color-matched borders to harmonize beautifully with your interior.

Kandinsky, a founding figure of early abstraction and a leading voice of Expressionism, believed that art could function like music—communicating directly to the emotions through rhythm and tone. By 1916 he had helped redefine modern art, favoring the expressive potency of non-objective forms over faithful depiction. His commitment to color theory and the “spiritual in art” gave generations of artists a new vocabulary for seeing and feeling.

This particular watercolor reflects a moment of rapid transformation in modern art, when academic traditions were giving way to experimental approaches. The reference to Poul Bjerre, a pioneer of psychoanalytic thought in Scandinavia, underscores the period’s broader dialogue between art and psychology. The composition’s interplay of abstraction and suggestion—where curving elements might evoke hills, trees, or figures—mirrors the period’s search for deeper truths beneath the visible surface.

Chromatically, the print is anchored in deep blues, cool greens, and radiant yellows, with warm earth tones shimmering through transparent washes. Loose, fluid brushwork and wet-on-wet passages create soft transitions that feel both harmonious and charged with energy. Curvilinear lines sweep across the page, establishing a musical rhythm; crisp accents and contrasts punctuate the field and keep the eye discovering new relationships. It’s a piece that rewards sustained looking and brings a contemplative yet invigorating presence to modern or minimalist interiors.

A refined choice for lovers of 20th-century art, psychology enthusiasts, and anyone drawn to color’s emotional impact, this print makes a thoughtful gift for birthdays, Christmas, Mother’s or Father’s Day, housewarmings, or to mark a milestone for someone beginning a new creative chapter.

If you're not sure what size to order, or you're looking for a custom order of some kind – a different size, a different colour, a special frame – then please contact me. I usually respond within a few minutes.

You can see an example of my fine art personalisation service in the fifth image. Zoom in and take a look. My personalised artwork is always very well received. Take a look at more examples of personalisation.

You can also choose to age your art print to make it look older. This is popular amongst my customers who want their artwork to look like an older, antique print. You can see an example of ageing in the sixth product image, or go ahead and check out lots of examples of other aged artwork.

The model in the listing images is holding the 24x36in (60x90cm) version of this art print.

I can print and frame this beautiful piece of art at sizes up to 3 metres (10ft). If you are looking for a size or framing option that isn't available online, please get in touch.

This artwork is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. My standard frames come in six colours (black, dark brown, dark grey, antique gold, oak and white), and custom framing is available for an additional charge. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.