Ruth Leon recommends.. Kandinsky – the Master of Abstract Art

Kandinsky

He likened abstract art to music, writing, “Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmony, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand which plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul”.

With all the other anniversaries this week I nearly forgot to mention the 80th anniversary of the death of Wassily Kandinsky, the Russian-born French artist known as a pioneer in the abstract movement. That would have been a pity as there’s this fine documentary about him which I enjoyed heartily and wanted to share at an appropriate moment. This is that moment.

Born in Moscow in 1866, he was stimulated by colour as a child. His fascination with colour symbolism and psychology continued as he grew although his studies took him into law and economics. Offered a professorship in Roman Law, instead, at the age of 30, he began to draw and paint. He moved to Germany where he taught at the Bauhaus until the Nazis closed it in 1933. He went to live in France where he remained until he died, nearly at the end of WW2, in December 1944.

Kandinsky was a trailblazer, widely recognized for his groundbreaking contributions to the field. He is celebrated for his revolutionary 1910 watercolor piece titled Abstract, which marked a significant departure from representational art.

Regarded as one of the most prominent artistic figures of the 20th century, Kandinsky’s influence resonates alongside the likes of renowned masters such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse.

He likened abstract art to music, writing, “Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmony, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand which plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul”.

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