During his career, as a pioneer of abstract art, kandinsky developed an important theoretical body of written work. The artist must lead the layman to the top of this pyramid through the soulful exercise of art. Its form pertaining to its characteristic features evolves from the culture that inspires artistic expression. Pioneering work by the great modernist painter, considered by many to be the father of abstract art and a leader in the movement to free art from traditional bonds. Kandinsky s words, penned in the period between the industrial revolution and the rise of the consumer society, ring with remarkable poignancy today. By wassily kandinsky download books, sacred, spiritual. A pioneering work in the movement to free art from its traditional bonds to material reality, this book is one of the most important documents in the history of modern art. Concerning the spiritual in art by wassily kandinsky goodreads. In 1911, modernist painter wassily kandinsky published concerning the spiritual in art, a treatise on the meaning of modern art and a challenge to his. This text is in the public domain and may be freely reproduced. The spiritual writings of wassily kandinsky free pdf ebook. Wassily kandinsky excerpt from concerning the spiritual in.
Kandinsky believed that art had a duty to be spiritual in nature, an expression of inner need, as he came to call it. His forms evolved from fluid and organic, to geometric, and finally to pictographic. This is not a process that would happen automatically. Kandinsky anticipates the emergence of abstract art as the purest form of influence on the human soul, and views the future optimistically, foretelling the upcoming emergences of the epoch of great spirituality. Read concerning the spiritual in art buy concerning the spiritual in art. Kandinsky, like other artists at the end of the 19th century, saw art as a new religion.
Kandinsky is generally credited as the pioneer of abstract art. The triangle is slowlynearly imperceptiblymoving forward and upward, towards a higher level of enlightenment. When religion, science and morality are shaken and when the outer supports threaten to fall, man turns his gaze from externals in on to himself. The triangle is slowlynearly imperceptiblymoving forward. Born in russia in 1866, kandinsky was a pioneer of the abstract, who used concerning the spiritual in art to argue for the transcendental importance of his vocation. In his 1912 essay concerning the spiritual in art on which the title of the show is based he. This book was both his call to artists to meet their obligation to humanity and his attempt to define and explain color and form in its relation to. Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings.
Wassily kandinsky, russian in full vasily vasilyevich kandinsky, born december 4 december 16, new style, 1866, moscow, russiadied december, 1944, neuillysurseine, france, russianborn artist, one of the first creators of pure abstraction in modern painting. Concerning the spiritual in art part 1, wassily kandinsky. Kandinsky s paintings are among the most expensive at international auctions today, but his writings are often overlooked. Perhaps the greatest meditation on how art serves the soul came in 1910, when russian painter and art theorist wassily kandinsky published the art of spiritual harmony, an exploration of the deepest and most authentic motives for making art a pioneering work in the movement to free art from its traditional bonds to material reality is one of the most important documents in the history of. Art is a form of nourishment of consciousness, the spirit, 31yearold. To me, kandinsky is the kandinsky from the bauhaus period, when his paintings were dominated by abstract compositions comprising lines, circles, triangles, and bold colours. Many consider him to be the pioneer of the abstract art movement. Concerning the spiritual in art by wassily kandinsky. He begins by considering art as a spiritual antidote to the values of materialism and introduces the notion of stimmung, an almost untranslatable concept best explained as the essential. Concerning the spiritual in art dover fine art, history. Though concerning the spiritual in art was written some ten years prior, the book may as well be about the explorations in artworks such as these.
Painting was, above all, deeply spiritual for kandinsky. Thus, every period of culture produ ces its own art, whic h ca n never be repeated. Wassily wassilyevich kandinsky 16th december 1866th december 1944 was a russian abstract painter and art theorist. Kandinsky considers art a kind of spiritual anchor when all other certitudes of life are unhinged by social and cultural upheaval. For kandinsky, the artist is like a prophet, able to see farther, think more deeply, and feel more keenly than ordinary people. Written by the famous nonobjective painter wassily kandinsky 18661944, it explains kandinsky s own theory of painting and. Music was a very inspiring source for him in creating his art. Buy concerning the spiritual in art dover fine art, history of art revised edition by kandinsky, wassily isbn. Kandinsky on the spiritual element in art and the three. Sometimes, perhaps frequently, a similarity of outward form will appear. Kandinsky differentiates between the superficial pleasure art inspires and the inner resonance created when art is considered attentively and allowed to touch the soul. Wassily kandinsky concerning the spiritual in art translated by. Wassily kandinsky concerning the spiritual in art, 1910.
Concerning the spiritual in art by wassily kandinsky free ebook. Concerning the spiritual in art 1911 a pioneering work in the movement to free art from its traditional bonds to material reality, this book is one of the most important documents in the history of modern art. Contents page foreword to first original edition 6 foreword to second original edition 7 foreword to the 1946 newyork edition ofwassily kandinslcys on the spiritual in art 8 ageneral i introduction 9 ii the movement 15 iii the spiritual turningpoint 21 iv the pyramid 34 bpainting v the effect of colour 39 vi the language of form and colour 44 vii theory 79 viii artand artists 91. Concerning the spiritual in art audiobook by wassily. Kandinsky was also an accomplished musician and believed. In this remarkable book, anticipating the spiritual turningpoint kandinsky reflects on his understanding of progress in this. The bottom segment is the widest and, as one approaches the apex, they get more and more narrow, with spirituality increasing with successively higher levels. Kandinsky wrote concerning the spiritual in art in 1912, the book argued that the impact of colour on the viewer could be twofold. His publication of concerning the spiritual in art in 1910 some quotes you find from this text had a huge impact on other artists in westeurope and the u. Wassily wassilyevich kandinsky was born in moscow on december 16, 1866, to welleducated, upperclass parents. The author is one of the leaders of the new art movement in munich. Every work of art is the child of its age and, in many cases, the mother of our emotions.
The group of which he is a member includes painters, poets, musicians, dramatists, critics, all working to the same endthe expression of the soul of nature and humanity, or, as kandinsky. Wassily kandinsky paintings, bio, ideas theartstory. Concerning the spiritual in art part 1 wassily kandinsky, 1910. Kandinsky describes a spiritual triangle as one which is divided into unequal horizontal segments. As he stated in concerning the spiritual in art see below, kandinsky felt that an authentic artist creating art from an. Along with his own groundbreaking paintings, this book had a tremendous impact on the development of modern art. Wassily kandinsky excerpt from concerning the spiritual in art, 19111 every work of art is th e child of its tim e, often it is the mother of our emotions. First complete english translation, with four full colour page reproductions, woodcuts and half tones see other formats. Kandinsky, the spiritual in art by wassily kandinsky. Concerning the spiritual in art is a short book more like an extended essay by kandinsky, detailing his personal philosophy of art.
Kandinsky s provocative thoughts on color theory and the nature of art. Wassily kandinsky was a russianfrench abstract painter, associated with the expressionism art movement. He sought to convey profound spirituality and the depth of human emotion through a universal visual language of abstract forms and colors that transcended cultural and physical boundaries. About painting is an early modernist art theory written by wassily kandinsky in 1910. Concerning the spiritual in art and painting in particular. Michael sadleir a pioneering work in the movement to free art from its traditional bonds to material reality, this book is one of the most important documents in the history of modern art. A pioneering work in the movement to free art from.
Art is the expression of the spiritual atmosphere of a certain period. Kandinsky sees the spiritual life of humanity as a pyramid. Concerning the spiritual in art dover publications. Revisiting the spiritual in art an online symposium commemorating the centennial of the publication of wassily kandinsky s classic text, on the spiritual in art the following is a transcript of the conference, which was a moderated blog that ran from march 30 th through april 8, 2011, at. Here is a collection, maybe the most complete you will find, of his writings on art and spirituality. In his first treatise, concerning the spiritual in art, he had emphasized in particular the supposed expressiveness of colours, comparing yellow, for example, to the aggressive, allegedly earthly sound of a trumpet and comparing blue to the allegedly heavenly sound of the pipe organ. Concerning the spiritual in art with vassily kandinsky. Kandinskys spiritual triangle represents a societal and personal progression from solely material to spiritual concerns where the primary movement is influenced by artists and their work. Among the most outstanding texts are concerning the spiritual in art 1911 and point and line to plane. First complete english translation, with four full colour page reproductions, woodcuts and half tones by kandinsky, wassily, 18661944. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul.
The first part, called about general aesthetic, issues a call for a spiritual revolution in painting that will let artists express their own inner lives in abstract, nonmaterial terms. Kandinsky viewed nonobjective, abstract art as the ideal visual mode to express the inner. Sadler translation, originally published in 1914 as the art of spiritual harmony. But in tracing spiritual relationship only inner meaning must be taken into account. Wassily kandinsky, a russianborn artist, was one of the first creators of pure abstraction in modern painting. Wassily wassilyevich kandinsky was a russian painter and art.
Kandinsky in his artist quotes on painting, color and line. This detailed literature summary also contains topics for discussion on concerning the spiritual in art by wassily kandinsky. It follows that each period of culture produces an art of its own which can never be repeated. Kandinsky s philosophy about spiritual life and art is founded on the idea of a threetiered triangle containing all of humanity, with the sections descending from top down, smallest to largest.
On the spiritual in art wassily kandinsky by samzdat issuu. Efforts to revive the art principles of the past will at. Kandinskys philosophy about spiritual life and art is founded on the idea of a threetiered triangle containing all of humanity, with the sections descending from top down, smallest to largest. He is not only on the track of an art more purely spiritual than was concei. In 1911, kandinsky published concerning the spiritual in art, a short book that explored his feelings about color and its effect on human emotions. The following interview is a followup to a conference in govan, scotland that grapples with class, spirituality, art and kandinsky in the 100th anniversary of concerning the spiritual in art. Only a mind with an extraordinary capacity for abstraction, like that of wassily kandinsky 18661944, could possibly answer. Because the inhabitants of this great lower segment of. Painting is an art, and art is not vague production, transitory and isolated, but a power which be directed to the improvement and refinement of the human soul to, in fact, the raising of the spiritual triangle p. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. He called art for art s sake a vain squandering of artistic power. It is a spiritual pyramid, advancing and ascending slowly even if it sometimes appears immobile.
Painting is an art, and art is not vague production, transitory and isolated, but a power which be directed to the improvement and refinement of the human. It requires a lot of work and implies a great responsibility of both artist and viewer. Any attempt to give new life to the artistic principles of the past can at best only result in a work of. On the spiritual in art is the first complete english translation of kandinskys text. The man is a preacher and a psychologist, universal by his very unorthodoxy, fundamental because he goes deeper than civilization. Kandinsky compares the spiritual life of humanity to a pyramidthe artist has a mission to lead others to the pinnacle with his work. Concerning the spiritual in art in this remarkable book, anticipating the spiritual turningpoint kandinsky reflects on his understanding of progress in this direction. Kandinsky s spiritual triangle represents a societal and personal progression from solely material to spiritual concerns where the primary movement is influenced by artists and their work. The point of the pyramid is occupied by few great artists.
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