Wassily Kandinsky
Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky (December 16, 1866, Moscow – December 13, 1944, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) was a Russian painter and art theorist, one of the founders of abstract art. He co-founded the artist group «Der Blaue Reiter».
Childhood
Wassily Kandinsky was born on December 16, 1866 in Moscow. From an early age, he showed interest in music, drawing and folk culture. His family belonged to the intelligentsia — his father was a civil servant, his mother — daughter of an entrepreneur.
He spoke several languages fluently, was passionate about ethnography and folklore — which later found reflection in his painting. He spent significant time in Italy and France, where he started to understand that art can be not only about the visible world — but also about the inner one.
Early Career
Kandinsky initially studied law and economics at Moscow University, earning a doctorate in law. However, at the age of 30, he left everything behind and moved to Munich to pursue painting.
There, he entered the Academy of Fine Arts, studied under Franz von Stuck, and later joined the innovative artists’ group «Phalanx», where his first experiments with form and color began.
"Der Blaue Reiter"
In 1911, Kandinsky, together with Franz Marc, organized an exhibition for the «Der Blaue Reiter» group. This became a turning point in the history of European avant-garde.
The group united artists from different countries and cultures — from Robert Delaunay to August Macke, from Jawlensky to Serov. Their shared goal: to find a new language of painting rooted in spirituality, form and sound.
Kandinsky wrote the manifesto «On the Spiritual in Art», which became the program of the movement. In it, he stated: "The artist is a channel between heaven and earth."
Turning Point — The Birth of Abstraction
The years 1910–1914 marked the birth of pure abstraction. During this period, masterpieces such as:
- «Painting with White Lines», 1913,
- «Improvisation 19», 1919,
- «Composition VI», 1913,
- «Steppe and Sun», 1911.
These were works where the physical world disappeared — only sound, color and motion remained. He called it: “painting that listens to the soul.”
Final Years and Death
After the 1917 revolution, Kandinsky returned to Germany and taught at the legendary Bauhaus school. There, he developed scientific theories of color and composition, creating works where geometry became the language of emotion.
In 1933, after the rise of fascism, he moved to France, where he continued working. In his final years (1934–1944), he lived in Neuilly-sur-Seine near Paris and created more than 150 paintings.
Wassily Kandinsky died on December 13, 1944, at the age of 78, just a year before the end of World War II. He never knew how important his role would become in the history of modern art.
Wassily Kandinsky Artworks Back
