Autumn in Murnau, 1908
o/p
32.3 x 40.9 cm
Wassily Kandinsky
"THE ARTIST’S LIFE IS NOT ONE OF PLEASURE. HE MUST NOT LIVE IRRESPONSIBLY; HE HAS DIFFICULT WORK TO PERFORM, ONE WHICH OFTEN PROVES A CROWN OF THORNS. HE MUST REALIZE THAT HIS ACTS, FEELINGS, AND THOUGHTS ARE THE UNDEFINABLE BUT FUNDAMENTAL MATERIAL FROM WHICH HIS WORK IS CREATED; HE IS FREE IN ART, BUT NOT IN LIFE." Kandinsky.
I think Kandinsky was so busy making the new painting that he rarely made the best. But, his goal was not to please me, that's for sure. Kandinsky, in his book Concerning the Spiritual in Art, 1911, theorized a periodic pyramid of the new in art. The main idea is that the vanguard of art, or the top of the pyramid, will be occupied in any given era by a precious few works that are ahead of their time. A very lonesome place is Kandinsky's summit, as by definition, no one else will appreciate or understand your work.
I find a few of his works do please me, and it is a good thing to study his take on Modernism and Abstraction. He was certainly a trend-setter and worthy of his star in art history.
Kandinsky at Wikipedia.
Tumblr blog dedicated to the man. Very nice resource.
Online University - extensive article and links.
Project Gutenberg - Concerning The Spiritual In Art. (I read mine via Kindle, which I do enjoy better than the PC screen.)
Kandinsky. Always Thinking.
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6 comments:
Interesting - thank you for providing those links. I was familiar with Kandinsky as a name, but not his oeuvre or even his style.
I like I guess what would be his earlier works, like the one you posted: colorful, expressionistic landscapes. There's one on the Tumblr blog "Winter Landscape" that I think is marvelous.
The later stuff...with the amoebas, triangles and such? Not so much...but talk about a radical change in one's style!
great post--enjoyed the links.
I agree with Sonya. I also prefer his earlier stuff. Except his paintings behind glass as an answer to the Bavarian folk-art of that time. But you know the best thing: Tomorrow in one month I will go to the village next to Murnau for vacation. I love it there and we have been there numerous times - the Blue Land.
Thanks for posting this, Casey.
Karin, I found out much about Murnau - glad you brought that up.
I will look into his on paper works, too.
Hi, Sonya. I like a few of his geometric abstracts, and when I think of how they were morphed over time by film (Disney & Looney Tunes) then it gets very exciting.
Glad you read it, Celeste!
Like Klee and Miro, I have thanked Kandinsky many times over for being something all three of them shared, visionaries and colorists. Who destroyed all the classical ideas of the time, shaped and consummated unique philosophies, and changed perceptions in "just what is art supposed to be".
I remember going to MOMA everyday for lunch in the early 70's and soaking up everything that appealed, or that struck a chord in me. To be up close and personal with an artists work whom I admired in Art History and being there with it, sometimes brought tears to my eyes.
So, if you have only seen Kandinsky's work (or others) on the web or in a book, treat yourself to a visit at a museum of choice and embrace it.
Thanks Casey for the post. . .
Regards
Micros
Good comment, Micros.
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