Poplars

Wassily Kandinsky's 'Poplars' (1902) depicts the tall, column-like trees that were among the most distinctive of European landscape elements — the poplar as a subject connected to the French Barbizon and Impressionist tradition (Monet's famous poplar series of 1891) while its bold vertical forms suited Kandinsky's interest in strong compositional elements. His poplar subject engaged with this tradition while developing his own decorative-expressive approach to the landscape.

Kandinsky renders the poplars with his characteristic bold treatment of strong vertical forms — the trees' specific character (their height, their narrow crown, and their seasonal color changes) depicted through his bold simplification and color emphasis. His handling of the poplars' rhythmic vertical repetition within the landscape creates the strong compositional structure that this subject naturally offered. His approach echoes Monet's poplar investigations while developing in his own distinct direction.