Sunday, February 17, 2013

Vasily Kandinsky: Improv 28


Vasily Kandinsky was born in Russia in 1866. Although his parents trained him to be a muscisian, Kandinsky's acute synaesthetic (experiencing colors in response to sound) drew him towards painting. Kandinsky believed that color, like music, had the ability to trigger human emotion and touch our souls.    Thus, rather than painting realist expressionism, Kandinsky chose to paint from a spiritual expressionism. For instance, Improvisation 28 is an interpretation of the Revelation of Saint John the Divine; however, Kandinsky's sweeping lines and color make figures such as the horseman vaguely recognizable. Indeed, Kandinsky stated: 

"I did not wish to banish objects completely...Objects, in themselves, have a particular spiritual sound...Thus, I dissolved objects to a greater or lesser extent within the same picture, so that they might not all be recognized at once ans so that these emotional overtones might thus be experienced gradually by the spectator."

It should be noted that Kandinsky's "Improvisational's"/"Impressions" were interpretations of nature or spiritual beliefs, while his "Compositions" were more thought out. Another common Kandinsky motif is the reoccurring conflict between good and evil, such as the one expressed in Improvisation 28. Finally, Kandinsky (like all expressionists) believed that art should express the inner self of its subject or artist. 

Resources 
http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/education/school-educator-programs/teacher-resources/arts-curriculum-online?view=item&catid=740&id=169
http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/expressionism.htm



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