Arab City by Wassily Kandinsky, 1905
Arab City by Wassily Kandinsky, 1905
Arab City (1905) by Wassily Kandinsky captures a threshold moment in the artist’s journey—just before his decisive leap into full abstraction. Rather than delineating a literal skyline, Kandinsky suggests an urban atmosphere through interlocking planes and broad, rhythmic passages of color. Warmly saturated fields of orange, golden yellow, and earthy brown are tempered by muted neutrals, giving the scene a dreamlike, symbolic quality. Created in the early twentieth century, this painting reflects Kandinsky’s growing conviction that color, structure, and mood could communicate more powerfully than descriptive detail.
Offered as a museum-quality fine art print by The Unique Maps Co., this piece is available on acid-free archival paper or on artist’s cotton canvas, produced with long-lasting, pigment-based inks. Choose from a full range of sizes, with optional professional framing and matting to suit your space. We’re happy to personalize your print—add a discreet caption, date, or dedication—or tailor borders and proportions to fit a specific frame. Custom requests and design consultations are welcome.
About the artist: Born in 1866, Wassily Kandinsky is a foundational figure of modern art and a pioneer of abstraction. Works from the mid-1900s, like Arab City, show him testing how far he could move from naturalistic depiction while still evoking place and feeling. His core belief—that color and form can carry profound emotional and spiritual resonance—would soon reshape twentieth-century painting.
About the artwork: Arab City belongs to a period when many artists were rethinking how city and landscape could be translated into color relationships and simplified structure. Here, architecture and figures are generalized into harmonious, geometric shapes; a flattened perspective and intentional reduction of detail shift attention to rhythm and atmosphere. The result is less a topographical view than a poetic memory of a place, inviting the viewer to complete the scene in the mind’s eye.
Color, style, and why to own it: The palette leans into sunlit warmth—orange, ochre, and amber meeting grounded browns—lightly cooled by soft whites, greens, and muted blues. Broad, expressive brushstrokes and calm, block-like forms create a balanced push-pull of movement and stillness, making the work striking at a distance and quietly meditative up close. This is a versatile statement piece: it pairs beautifully with modern, mid-century, minimalist, or bohemian interiors, and its amber-gold glow brings an inviting, lived-in warmth to living rooms, bedrooms, and creative studios alike.
A thoughtful, art-forward gift, this Kandinsky print suits many occasions—Christmas, housewarmings, weddings, Father’s or Mother’s Day, graduations, or as a meaningful memento for someone who has recently traveled or who loves early modern art and atmospheric cityscapes.
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.