Wassily Kandinsky

Wassily Kandinsky was the pioneer of abstraction in modern art. He viewed non-objective, abstract art as the ideal visual mode to express the “inner necessity” of the artist and to convey universal human emotions and ideas. In creating his pieces he exploited the evocative interrelation between color and form to create an aesthetic experience that engaged the sight, sound, and emotions of the public. The characteristics that best define Kandinsky’s work, is being highly inspired to create art that communicated a universal sense of spirituality. He innovated a pictorial language that only loosely related to the outside world, but expressed volumes about the artist’s inner experience.

The piece Composition VII was created in 1913 during the pre-World War I and was one of Kandinsky’s main works that brought attention to his time. Composition VII shows the artists rejection of pictorial representation through swirling hurricanes of colors and shapes. As the different colors and symbols spiral around each other, Kandinsky eliminated traditional references to depth and laid bare the different abstracted glyphs in order to communicate deeper themes and emotions common to all cultures and viewers. The piece doesn’t follow a grid but follows an asymmetrical pattern. For example on the left side of the painting it’s weighed more with the multiple lines, shapes and various colors. While on the right side there is less chaos because of the amount of space between each element. There is no central focus point instead your mind explores throughout the painting. The painting as a whole is very busy but also very intriguing because each section has a lot going on that I don’t want to miss anything therefore my attention is held longer in one area. The colors, shapes, and lines are balanced because there isn’t one element out weighing the other. Together they create an interesting piece that draws the viewer in closer to try and identify the elements within the painting.

The legacy of Kandinsky is being able to create his lyrical style and innovation theories on non-figurative art. He impacted his time period through his art and ideas, which inspired many generations of artists, from his students at, the Bauhaus and Abstract Expressionist after World War II. Even though he made an impact on the people in his life, he made an impact on our time period by expanding how art is created and how to push the limits of the norm. In doing so Kandinsky should be remembered by innovating a pictorial language that related to those of the outside world. He should also be remembered as the person who explored abstract art to the fullest by allowing others to experience it as well as to create it themselves.

Sources:
http://www.theartstory.org/artist-kandinsky-wasssily.htm
http://www.artsy.net/artist/wassily-kandinsky