Kandinsky worked and studied in Munich from 1896 to 1914. In 1911, together with the German painter Franz Marc, he established a group of innovatory German artists called The Blue Rider (Der Blaue Reiter). Kandinsky's work evolved towards non-representational painting. Initially, Kandinsky wanted this painting to be entitled Flood. Swirling piles of matter run riot like waves; lit up by flashes of lightning and soaked in thundery showers, they create an impression of universal catastrophe.