Winter in Schwabing

Wassily Kandinsky's 'Winter in Schwabing' (1902) depicts the Munich artists' quarter where he lived and worked — Schwabing was the bohemian district north of the city center that was home to Munich's artistic and intellectual community, and his winter view of the neighborhood placed him within the tradition of the artist depicting his immediate urban environment. His Schwabing subjects documented the specific character of his Munich neighborhood while developing the decorative, non-naturalistic approach of his pre-abstract work.

Kandinsky renders the winter Schwabing subject with his characteristic bold handling — the winter urban environment simplified through his decorative approach, the snow, bare trees, and characteristic Munich architecture depicted with the visual directness and color emphasis that distinguished his work from conventional plein air urban painting. His handling of the winter atmosphere gives the familiar subject his personal stylistic mark.