Feeling the Music in Art with Wassily Kandinsky
We appreciate art for many reasons.
Claude Monet amazes us with his way of capturing nature's beauty.
Mark Rothko’s work deeply moves us with his use of color and emotional depth.
Jean-Michel Basquiat's energetic style makes us think about social and political issues.
What about Wassily Kandinsky? Why do people love his art?
From Law to Art
Wassily Kandinsky was born on December 16, 1866, in Moscow, Russia. He didn't start as an artist. To comply with his parents' wishes, he studied law and economics. After graduating in 1893, he became a professor and taught law for three years at Moscow State University.
But in 1896, he saw Claude Monet's "Haystacks" series, which changed his life. The bright colors and expressive brushstrokes inspired Kandinsky to leave his academic career at the age of 30 and dive into the world of art.
Synesthesia and Inner Vision
Kandinsky had a unique view of art and experienced synesthesia, a condition where his senses mixed. He could hear colors and see sounds.
Kandinsky believed art should express the artist’s inner vision, not just imitate nature. He thought colors had deeper meanings.
Inspired by music, he often compared his paintings to musical pieces, with colors like notes in a symphony.
“Violins, deep basses and especially the wind instruments represented for me the full force of the twilight hour; in my mind I saw all my colors, they were all there, in my mind’s eye. Wild, almost crazy lines, were being painted in front of me.” - Wassily Kandinsky
Facing Resistance
Kandinsky's move to abstract art faced many challenges.
In the early 1900s, the art world preferred representational art, and abstract paintings weren’t widely accepted. People criticized Kandinsky’s work because they couldn’t understand the meaning behind his abstract style.
"The painting was the work of someone under the effects of morphine or hashish." - a Munich art critic describing Kandinsky’s work.
Finding Inspiration in the Blue Rider Group
Despite these challenges, Kandinsky found inspiration in the Blue Rider group.
This group of artists wanted to find spiritual renewal through art. They encouraged Kandinsky to explore the spiritual side of painting and embrace abstraction. His breakthrough came with "Composition VII," a masterpiece showing his bold use of color and form, marking a key point in his artistic journey.
Masterpieces of Color, Form, and Emotion
Kandinsky believed art could transcend language and culture, speaking directly to the soul.
His theories on color and form are now essential in art education. They show how art can evoke emotions and share universal truths.
From his early landscapes to his later abstract works, each piece reflects his deep exploration of color, form, and emotion.
Famous works like "Blue Rider" (1903), "Impression III (Concert)" (1911), and "Several Circles" (1926) show his talent for expressing complex ideas and feelings through abstract forms.
A Legacy in Theory and Education
Kandinsky's impact goes beyond his paintings.
He was a significant theorist and teacher. His book Concerning the Spiritual in Art (1911) laid the groundwork for abstract art theory, exploring how color and form affect us psychologically.
While teaching at the Bauhaus school from 1922 to 1933, Kandinsky influenced many future artists and designers, shaping the direction of modern art.
Even after his death on December 13, 1944, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, Kandinsky’s influence continues, inspiring artists worldwide and securing his place as a major figure in art history.
Kandinsky’s art invites us to embrace the mystery of the abstract, finding meaning in the interplay of color, sound, and form. His paintings remind us that art can go beyond the physical world and touch our deepest emotions and experiences.
In a world focused on the tangible, Wassily Kandinsky’s art offers a refreshing perspective. It encourages us to find beauty and meaning in the abstract, in the colors and shapes that speak to our inner self.
I absolutely love his art, and am so happy to include it in the novel I'm writing, which is set at the time he was painting. Can you imagine seeing these works for the first time?
It is of a time when everyone was doing the same thing. He was just better than most with a gift of genius to spur him on.