WASSILY KANDINSKY
The father of abstraction” is his place in art history, a tag he disliked immensely.
A Russian artist and theorist, he was so much more. He lived from 1866-1944 and
saw the rise and fall of Hitler, inventions of great variety and had a big influence
on his students.
Wassily studied law and economics in Moscow, a career that was accepted and
respected, but it didn’t fulfill him. He began studying drawing, sketching and
anatomy at age thirty-six which led to his place in curricula all over the world. His
work has influenced many painters.
A young Gabrielle Munter took classes from Kandinsky, learning about art and
life. She became his lover of fifteen years, though he was married. The love
affair ended abruptly, but his influence and encouragement brought her work to
the forefront.
He taught in the Bauhaus in Germany, an inventive school of a variety of art
disciplines. It allowed students the freedom to create and cross disciplines.
Ultimately, Hitler shut it down because he called the art “degenerative”.
Fascinated by color and symbolism, he applied it to the psyche as well as to the
canvass. “Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammers, the soul is the piano
with many strings. The artist is the band which plays, touching one key or
another, to cause vibrations in the soul.”
Source Material: "Saving Kandinsky" by Mary Basson and Wikipedia
A Russian artist and theorist, he was so much more. He lived from 1866-1944 and
saw the rise and fall of Hitler, inventions of great variety and had a big influence
on his students.
Wassily studied law and economics in Moscow, a career that was accepted and
respected, but it didn’t fulfill him. He began studying drawing, sketching and
anatomy at age thirty-six which led to his place in curricula all over the world. His
work has influenced many painters.
A young Gabrielle Munter took classes from Kandinsky, learning about art and
life. She became his lover of fifteen years, though he was married. The love
affair ended abruptly, but his influence and encouragement brought her work to
the forefront.
He taught in the Bauhaus in Germany, an inventive school of a variety of art
disciplines. It allowed students the freedom to create and cross disciplines.
Ultimately, Hitler shut it down because he called the art “degenerative”.
Fascinated by color and symbolism, he applied it to the psyche as well as to the
canvass. “Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammers, the soul is the piano
with many strings. The artist is the band which plays, touching one key or
another, to cause vibrations in the soul.”
Source Material: "Saving Kandinsky" by Mary Basson and Wikipedia
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