Book Description

Essay by Magdalena Dabrowski.
Foreword by Richard E. Oldenburg. ... Read more

Book Description

Kandinsky's rich, trail-blazing work and complex personality have compelled attention ever since the controversy surrounding his first abstract paintings of 1911, when the press labelled him a "bluffer" and a "madman." In his native Russia, the Communists ostracized him as a "formalist," while the Nazis exhibited his work as "Degenerate Art." Member of the Blaue Reiter and the Bauhaus, close ally of Franz Marc and Paul Klee, Kandinsky influenced virtually the entire spectrum of modern art; but for decades much of his oeuvre languished unseen in museum depots and private hands in the former Soviet Union.The opening up of the old USSR in 1989 brought in its wake the first-ever Kandinsky retrospective in his homeland, drawing on the untapped resources of Moscow's and St. Petersburg's museums and on many provincial and private collections. Works unseen for decades and presumed lost, and others totally unknown, were brought to light. Perceptions of Kandinsky were transformed overnight.This is the first monograph on Kandinsky to take into account the latest findings from Russia and Eastern Europe. Many works never before reproduced, from the East and from private collections in the West, are included. Kandinsky's own words, including extracts from hitherto unpublished manuscripts, are used as commentary on his paintings: for the artist was also an excellent writer, who remains the best interpreter of his own art. The most up-to-date studies are incorporated to shed light on vehemently disputed areas of Kandinsky's life and thought-- such as the exact nature and extent of his debt to Madame Blavatsky's occultism and the influence of his ideas on his abstract aesthetic.Abstract art as it is today is largely the product of Vasily Kandinsky's endeavors. Now, almost fifty years after his death, we at last have the chance to gain a true perspective on the breadth and profundity of this pioneer of modernist painting. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Kandinsky's Life and Art
This is a marvelous book in two respects. First, the discussion of Kandinsky's life and art is clear, authoritative without intrusive detail, and lively. Second, the color reproductions of Kandinsky's work are well-chosen and expertly reproduced; they are placed in the text in places proximate to the discussion of Kandinsky's changing approaches to art. I found it stunning that the publisher could pack so many color prints into such a compact book at a reasonable price.
Readers interested in Kandinsky's ground-breaking treatise, On the Spiritual in Art, will be grateful for the author's compelling, lucid presentation of its ideas.

Lost world
They have destroied everything , have redused to black square and have gone out... You can like Kandinsky or not.His mysteries reflect Russia , epoch of silver century .You can feel the puls of time. Deep penetrating in one's heart of hearts,skill to see in fine its livng connect with epoch,with people,that all fascinate a notprejudice reader of this book. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Modern Art: A Wealth of Primary Sources
This book is as thorough of a collection of writings by an individual as you will ever find. Including every major treatise, essay, and book by Kandisky, it goes a few steps further with every Kandisky poem (English and German translations) and play. Moreover, the book includes innumerable pamphlets and the like from the earlier late-Expressionist exhibits; also incorporated are several corrspondances between Kandinsky and contemporaries, particularly atonal composer Arnold Schoenburg--illuminating how each other's theories were mutually related and held a reciprocal influence. A little known fact, Schoenburg himself was a non-objective painter--photos of his works are among these pages, as well! Before each section is a contextual introduction to that particular writing. And much much more.

Indispensable
An obligatory text for any visual, aural, or literary artist, and a necessity for any true understanding of the nature of artistic creation. ... Read more

Book Description

One of the first and most famous abstract painters, Wassily Kandinsky created a form in which color and shape have a life of their own. Find out how this complex Russian artist established a truly abstract art. The DK ArtBook series presents both the life and works of each artist within the cultural, social, and political context of their time. To make the books easy to consult, they are divided into three areas -- the life and works of the artist, historical and cultural background, and analysis of major works -- which are identifiable by side bands. Each spread focuses on a specific theme, with an introductory text and several annotated illustrations. Few art history texts contain such abundance of full-color illustrations. The index section is also illustrated and gives background information on key figures and the location of the artist's works. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The Book is Worth It!
This book has excellent images on Kandinsky's work beginning with his representational early works to his abstract later works. The color quality of the prints are good and the information is readable - to the point and not overwhelming like many art books can be. I only wish this book was bigger with more examples of his work. ...A good resource for art educators.

The Master On Display
The word "visionary" is so often overused, but Wassily Kandinsky truly was one. Pick up this book and find out why!

Must buy for any modern art lover
This book in few pages can describe Kandinsky so well. The style of Kandisky which reflected the developments and strides physics took in first 2 decades of century is shown in his love of planes and geometry. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Vasily Kandinsky was one of the most pivotal figures in the development of modernist painting. He was born in the mid 19th-century, and by the time of his death in 1944 he had played a key role in revolutionizing the nature of European painting, and laying the groundwork for future movements. Most significant among his contributions to high modernism are his involvements with the Blue Rider group, Russian constructivism, and the later years of the Bauhaus. By the end of 1910 Kandinsky had developed a purely abstract style--arguably one of the first--in his paintings, particularly the watercolors.

This beautiful book, designed to accompany the first full-scale exhibition of Kandinsky's work in London at the Royal Academy of Arts, traces his development from an unremarkable painter of Russian folk scenes to the geometrically precise and clinical draftsman of the later abstract creations. His image-making culminated during his final years with paintings of strangely micro-organic-looking works. Art historian Frank Whitford's introductory essay charts Kandinsky's career with wonderful lucidity, and is particularly good on the tension between the artist's theory and practice. He is less clear on the significance of the works on paper and outlining Kandinsky's legacy; but perhaps the book will provide the possibilities for just such a reassessment of the painter's standing within the history of modern art.--Jerry Brotton, Amazon.co.uk

168 color illustrations ... Read more

Reviews (1)

best painter
it is a very good book. i enjoyed it expecially because I LOVE Kandinsky. It is worth it ... Read more

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jammed packed
Ulrike Becks-Malorny has brought recent perspectives on Kandinsky's career to further light with this new biography.

The density of the layout is phenomenal: so much is crammed into this volume it is almost unbelievable. It includes many plates in colour and numerous documentary photographs.

The handsome large format paperback begins with his artistic life in Munich, in the process showing many of his earliest impressionist, fauvist and folk inspired paintings, photographs and sketches, lino- and woodcuts, etchings and drawings never seen before.

Most illustrations are captioned with insightful comments about the work and matters of relevant historic interest.

It also shows how his work developed in dialogue with other artists, architects and musicians of his era, especially the Jugendstil artists, Gabriele Munter and other Blaue Reiter painters, Paul Klee, Adolf Hoelzel, Kasimir Malevich and Alexander Rodchenko.

My only problem with the book is in the non-justified text and choice of font in Times Roman, which in this particular leading, is not the easiest typeface to scan these days. ... Read more

Book Description

The historic encounter around 1911 between the composer Arnold Schonberg and the painter Wassily Kandinsky occurred at a moment when the first wild revolts against traditional art, Dada and Futurism, had just manifested themselves.Independently of those sometimes spectacular activities, both Schonberg and Kandinsky had already concluded that the material and the compositional methods they had relied on in the past were exhausted and did not satisfy the development of their artistic ideas.
Both artists had already submitted their modes of production to a critical analysis which resulted in Schonberg's Theory of Harmony and Kandinsky's Concerning the Spiritual in Art, both of 1911 - indeed the two artists had already been putting their self-criticism into practice for some time.In Schonberg's case this led to breaking with tonality; Kandinsky effected the transition to abstract painting.
This book is a collection of the papers presented at the conference on Schonberg and Kandin ... Read more

Amazon.com

After Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc resigned from the New Association of Munich Artists, they concentrated their efforts on the publication of The Blue Rider, an art journal "with contributions written exclusively by artists" and inspired by "a shared faith in a spiritual renewal of our civilization." With contributors both distinguished and obscure, the journal joined advanced contemporary work and antique folk art. Despite financial problems and politicking between associates, the publication was an enormous success. Unfortunately, the coming of World War I squelched the planning of the next edition, and the first The Blue Rider remained the last. Even so, The Blue Rider and the artists who created it made a lasting impression on art and art journals that followed it. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Kind of Blue
"'Der Blaue Reiter' was neither a school or a movement: it was no more than a brief episode in the history of 20th century art." -- From the Introduction

Led by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, Der Blaue Reiter lasted just a few months between 1911 and 1912 but attracted such brilliant artists as Arp, Braques, Delauney, Feininger, Klee, Larionov, Malevich, Picasso, and others. This work helped establish or influence Abstraction and the Avant-Garde, and drew upon Rousseau's realism, "primitives," folklore, and other currents. In sum, this "episode" was the foundation for much of modern art in the 20th century.

The book has 180 illustrations (160 in color), and they are sumptuous: Vibrant, textured, full of movement and bold color. Printed on thick luminous paper, this is an opulent book. However, unlike some so-called "coffee-table" books, the scope is manageable, and the text reads intelligently and without hyperbole. Kandinsky is especially well represented here (showing a variety of his styles), and there is an interesting section on his interests in theater and music. Unfortunately, there is no index, and the text could have been longer, but this is an absolutely beautiful collection of paintings. The book has 223 pages, with photo credits that identify the location of the paintings. Very highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

The artist Vasily Kandinsky (1866-1944) strove to reveal the hidden inner universe of human emotion and spirituality. These twelve strinking paintings serve as entryways into a world of pure feelings. Carefully selected works illustrate Kandinsky's mastery of color and abstraction.The Guggenheim Museum in New York holds the premier collection of Kandinsky's work the world over. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Expect the best
Although I have not seen the new Kandinsky calendar I expect the best, because I have collected as many books and art about Kandinsky that I could not only find, but afford; prompting me to write my own studies of Kandinsky, titled "You Kan Do A Kandinsky," meaning anyone can (following his teachings during the Bauhaus period) actually do a Kandinsky style composition. I've found that the more Kandinsky art I can find, (and especially calendars - 12 of his artworks guaranteed) the more I can spot and project his methods. I expect and am sure the calendar will be enjoyed throughout the year. ... Read more

Book Description