Wassily Kandinsky Russian Expressionist Artist 1866–1944

Wassily Kandinsky was born in December 1866 in Moscow, Russia Wassily Kandinsky was born in December 1866 in Moscow, Russia. His father was a tea merchant and his mother was a homemaker. At an early age, he displayed a very special gift called synesthesia. This allowed him the ability to HEAR COLOR and SEE SOUNDS. With this special gift, his father enrolled him in private drawing lessons, along with lessons for both the piano and cello. Synesthesia is a rare but real condition in which one of your five senses, like hearing, concurrently triggers another sense, such as sight. People with synesthesia might smell something when they hear a sound, or see a shape when they eat a certain food. Kandinsky literally saw colors when he heard music, and heard music when he painted.

At the age of 20, he went to University of Moscow to become a lawyer At the age of 20, he went to University of Moscow to become a lawyer. He eventually became a faculty member at the University of Moscow. However, at the age of 30 he left his career and went to art school in Munich, Germany. Between 1922 and 1933, geometrical elements became increasingly important to Kandinsky - particularly circles, half-circles, the angle, straight lines and curves. One of his first works to include these geometric shapes was On White II (1923). When Nazis closed the Bauhaus school in 1933, Kandinsky moved to France. He remained there for the rest of his life. Wassily Kandinsky died on December 13, 1944, in his studio in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. He is recognized today as the pioneer of abstract art. His non-representational paintings paved the way for the development of the Abstract Expressionist movement that dominated American painting after World War II. On White II, 1923

His early art was influence by French Impressionist artist, Claude Monet. What are some of the similarities between Kandinsky’s and Monet’s pieces below? Wheatstacks, 1890, Monet Blue Rider, 1903

Kandinsky’s Transition from Impressionism to Abstract Art Murnau Street With Women, 1908 Untitled (First Abstract Watercolor), 1910

Kandinsky’s artwork is called ABSTRACT. His paintings are made up of different shapes and lines . Yellow, Red, Blue, 1925

Color Study. Squares with Concentric Circles, 1913

By 1913 Kandinsky was producing some of the first completely abstract (non-representational) compositions in the history of art. They made no reference to the natural world and were inspired by pieces of music such as Composition VII (1913). Composition VII, 1913

Circles in a Circle, 1923 Distinct Connection, 1925

Several Circles, 1926 Composition IX, 1936 Composition, 1944

Kandinsky felt that he could express feelings and music through colors and shapes in his paintings. For example, he thought that yellow had the crisp sound of a brass trumpet and that certain colors placed together could harmonize like chords on a piano. The shapes he was most interested in were the circle, triangle, and the square. He thought the triangle would cause aggressive feelings, the square calm feelings, and the circle spiritual feelings. How do these shapes make you feel? The same or different than Wassily Kandinsky? Why?

Kandinsky said, “I see colors when I listen to music.” Kandinsky’s favorite music was Richard Wagner. After attending a Wagner performance he had an unusual visual response that he later described as a life- changing experience: “I saw all my colors in spirit, before my eyes. Wild, almost crazy lines were sketched in front of me.” Transverse Line, 1923

What kind of music do you “hear” when you look at this painting? Composition VIII, 1923

What kinds of music do you think Wassily Kandinsky Our print of the month: Lyrical (Lyrics), 1911 Man on a Horse Do you see the horse? Do you see the man? What kinds of music do you think Wassily Kandinsky was listening to while painting this piece?

Classroom Safe Share Videos: Wassily Kandinsky Animation - 1:16 Wassily Kandinsky Biography Video – 2:38 min Bach Kandinsky Jarre - Music Art Composition - Total 8:00 (Show first minute, then forward to last 2 minutes. Fun look at Kandinsky art with music.)

References: Photo: Wikipedia.org Wassily Kandinsky Making Art Fun – Kandinsky http://www.ducksters.com/biography/artists/wassily_kandinsky.php http://denverartmuseum.org/article/staff-blogs/wassily-kandinskys-symphony-colors http://www.wassilykandinsky.net