Exceptional and illuminating collection,
2007-08-04
by Aisling D'Art (Portsmouth, NH USA)
This book is a must-read for Kandinsky enthusiasts. It's also a must-read for anyone who's confused by some of Kandinsky's unstructured, semi-representational works.
I was one of the latter. I love Kandinsky's early, representational work. His eye for color and balance almost sing in his later structured, geometric works. But, the in-between works baffled me until I studied this book.
I'm delighted with the chapter by Armin Zweite, "Free the Line for the Inner Sound." It explains a tremendous amount in the illustrations and discussion related to Small Pleasures and its forerunner, the glass painting called With Sun.
Once I started comparing their composition and design elements to many of Kandinsky's later works, I realized that he used these same themes over & over again. He was exhausting the form of his expression, rather than constantly looking for new subjects.
When I understood that, far more of Kandinsky's work made sense to me. And, it opened doors for my own artwork.
Although it's important to study Kandinsky's entire body of work, including his oil paintings, this book is a vital resource for anyone interested in Kandinsky's art and philosophies.