Kandinsky, Wassily

Wassily Kandinsky was a painter, graphic artist, and art theoretician. He is one of the most famous Expressionists of his time. Together with Franz Marc, he founded the artists’ group "Der Blaue Reiter" (The Blue Rider). Although he first studied law and ethnology, he also took painting lessons in Moscow from a young age. After travelling through Europe, he moved to Munich where he studied painting at the Academy under Franz von Stuck.
 

When he was still painting in a late-Impressionistic style in 1908, Kandinsky was not yet very interested in Matisse and Picasso. But due to the influence of progressive artists of the time such as Marianne von Werefkin, Alexej Jalewsky, Franz Marc, and August Macke, he slowly turned away from Impressionism and created works that moved towards Expressionism: away from capturing the feel of nature towards an artistic attitude where the connection between content and object is dissolved. Colours and forms are now subject to the unconscious creative process of the artist and his inner desires. After his artist friends protested against his first abstract paintings, Kandinsky founded the “Der Blaue Reiter” group with Franz Marc. Its works, including well-known publications such as "Das Geistige in der Kunst" (On the Spiritual in Art) quickly received much attention. After detours via Zurich, Moscow, and Berlin, Kandinsky became Professor at the Bauhaus in Weimar. Later, he continued to teach at the Bauhaus in Dessau before emigrating to Neuilly-sur-Seine. In this small suburb of Paris, he led an isolated life and continued the last period of his creative output.
 

Kandinsky’s works are still highly significant today. Without being distracted by having to represent objects in his works, he unfolded the full power of colour in compositions with a focus on playing with forms.