Circles in a Circle

In an entry for a 1950 collection catalog of the Societe Anonyme, the artist Marcel Duchamp wrote: "tracing his lines with ruler and compass, Vasily Kandinsky opened to the spectator a new way of looking at a painting . . . a clear transfer of thought on canvas." This has been the actual contribution of Kandinsky toward a conception of esthetics. These laudatory words easily apply to Circles in a Circle, in which geometric forms and subtle color harmonies combine to make an effervescent, abstract composition. Through the Societe Anonyme, an art organization led by American collector Katherine Dreier and designed to generate awareness of modern art, Duchamp helped secure Kandinsky's first solo exhibition in this country.