Edwin R. Campbell, an automobile executive, commissioned the series. He had the works made to fit the walls in the entrance hall of the New York apartment he shared with his wife, Margery. The couple separated in 1921, and the paintings got divided into pairs, and passing through several different collections; they were permanently reunited at The Museum of Modern Art in 1982.
Wassily Kandinsky is regarded as being one of the pioneers of abstract art. Abstraction, however, has social roots. For centuries, artistic practice was largely centred on the faithful depiction of the visible world. It used to represent religion, aristocracy, material life and similar things; with the advent of photography, these subjects almost lost their purpose because now a camera can capture what's seen better than any painting ever could. New scientific discoveries like radio waves, Eistein’s theories, evolution of studies related to psychology became popular and people started developing an awareness that reality was more than what is visible. This fueled widespread thoughtfulness about the invisible realities such as emotion, energy, movement and spirituality. Such transformation naturally involved people associated with art and culture. Visual artists felt that the prevalent academicism which involved being able to produce "correct" drawings is limiting. Breaking these limits, artists started experimenting, leading to styles like impressionism, fauvism, cubism and eventualy abstract art. Kandinsky, one of the earliest practitioners of abstract painting, painted the above work "Panel for Edwin R. Campbell No. 4". As the name suggests, the painting is one of the four, commisioned by Edwin Campbell for his New York apartment where he lived with his wife. Abstraction emerged in his life in quite an unforeseen way. Moved by the music composer, Arnold Schoenberg, Kandinsky had done some of his first proto-abstract paintings. Later, poetry had also inspired his work. His spiritual inclinations led him to believe that colours and shapes possessed spiritual powers. This is what we see in his works, colours and shapes, meticulously arranged in a harmonious manner. According to him, "Colour is a means of exerting direct influence on the soul". Colour is what makes his work stand out. Certain scholars suggest that this particular work represents seasons around a year. One thing that is undoubtedly visible, is his skilled brushwork and thoughtful distribution of colour. A celebration is the mood that one senses through this peice. The lush, colourful feild invites viewers to experience emotions through line, form and rhythm, more than anything else. The painting thus is an extraordinary instance of his contribution to establishing abstraction as a new visual language.
Wassily Kandinsky's view that art should convey inner feelings and spiritual experiences rather than portray the outside world is shown in the panel for Edwin R. Campbell No. 4. The artwork invites viewers to react emotionally rather than looking for familiar subjects by creating a sense of movement, harmony, and joy through vivid colors, dynamic forms, and rhythmic brushwork. The composition, which is frequently seen as symbolizing the changing of the seasons, exemplifies Kandinsky's belief that color and abstract form have the capacity to directly affect the soul, making it a representation of abstraction as a universal visual language.
