Houses in Murnau on the Obermarkt Vasily Kandinsky (1866-1944)

The composition presents a view down a narrow street lined with buildings. The perspective is steeply angled, emphasizing the depth and creating a sense of enclosure. Buildings crowd the space on either side, their facades rendered in bold, non-naturalistic colors. A vibrant green mass, likely foliage, dominates the left side of the canvas, partially obscuring the view further down the street.
The artist employed an expressive application of paint; brushstrokes are visible and contribute to a textured surface. Color is not used descriptively but rather as a vehicle for emotional expression. The buildings themselves are simplified into geometric forms, with windows appearing as rectangular blocks of yellow and orange against darker backgrounds. Rooflines are jagged and irregular, adding to the overall sense of visual dynamism.
A palpable tension exists between the verticality of the buildings and the diagonal thrust of the street. This creates a feeling of instability or unease. The limited palette – dominated by greens, yellows, oranges, blues, and purples – further contributes to an atmosphere that is both intense and somewhat unsettling. Theres a deliberate flattening of space; depth isn’t achieved through traditional perspective but through color contrast and overlapping planes.
The scene evokes a sense of isolation and introspection. The narrowness of the street suggests confinement, while the distorted forms and unnatural colors create a dreamlike or hallucinatory quality. It is not merely a depiction of a place, but rather an exploration of subjective experience and emotional response to the environment. The absence of human figures amplifies this feeling of detachment; the viewer is positioned as an observer, distanced from any narrative or social interaction.