The topology of the image series: The singular and the composite in Kandinsky’s Small Worlds

How may we understand and describe the connection existing between images that, together, form a series? This article explores the image series as a specific category, proposing that the distinctive spatial and temporal structuring principles of the series may be explained by the concept of topology, which describes an expanded geometry as well as a theory of place. The example used is Wassily Kandinsky’s (1866–1944) portfolio Small Worlds [Kleine Welten] (1922), a set of prints which very strongly and overtly addresses the relationship between the individual, singular image and the composite series.