Kandinsky

by Wassily Kandinsky

Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) was a Russian painter credited as being among the first to truly venture into abstract art. He persisted in expressing his internal world of abstraction despite negative criticism from his peers. He veered away from painting that could be viewed as representational in order to express his emotions, leading to his unique use of colour and form. Although his works received heavy censure at the time, in later years they would become greatly influential.

185 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 13, 2015

About the author

Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky was a Russian painter, and Art theorist. He is credited with painting the first modern abstract works.
Born in Moscow, Kandinsky spent his childhood in Odessa. He enrolled at the University of Moscow and chose to study law and economics. Quite successful in his profession—he was offered a professorship (chair of Roman Law) at the University of Dorpat—he started painting studies (life-drawing, sketching and anatomy) at the age of 30.
In 1896 he settled in Munich and studied first in the private school of Anton Azbe and then at the Academy Of Fine Arts in Munich. He went back to Moscow in 1914 after World War I started. He was unsympathetic to the official theories on art in Moscow and returned to Germany in 1921. There he taught at the Bauhaus school of art and architecture from 1922 until the Nazis closed it in 1933. He then moved to France where he lived the rest of his life, and became a French citizen in 1939. He died at Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1944.

Reviews

[Pat Rolston]

This is a beautiful book that balances the philosophy and brief bio of Kandinsky with breath taking pictures of his work. The explanation of his mind set and philosophical perspective in his own words makes this a complete joy when combined with the associated paintings. I borrowed on Hoopla and read on a Amazon Fire which made for a completely satisfying combination. The stunning beauty of the paintings isn’t compromised given the smaller screen versus a larger table top book and is a wonderful surprise.

I feel so fortunate to be able to learn of Kandinsky’s theory of color, form, and deep spirituality combined with the evolution he underwent over his life. The realisation of artistic actualisation for any individual may be seen as an accomplishment of the highest order. For Kandinsky the accomplishment went beyond personal to the point of transforming mankind’s perspective regarding the fundamental meaning of the nature of art and painting. This is a book that can be deeply satisfying no matter your taste in painting as your perspective will be broadened to appreciate what once may have been considered unfathomable.