I recently received a gift from my friend Ann that I wanted to share with you. It is a book on the artist Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) created by Dr. Ulrike Becks-Malorny and published by Taschen. The book is a beautiful resource for understanding Kandinsky’s life’s work. Most notably, the book contains a chapter entitled “On the Spiritual in Art” (p. 55). Kandinsky wrote an essay by the same name which was published in 1911. The essay was received with enthusiasm, particularly by young artists of the day. Becks-Malorny says Kandinsky’s essay is full of analogy and not easy to read. He wrote the essay in German, not his mother tongue, and his use of that language gave rise to misunderstandings as well. Nevertheless, the essay ranks as one of the most influential on 20th Century art.
Kandinsky said it is essential for a painting to grow out of an “internal necessity.” A work of art shouldn’t depend on an external model such as nature. Instead, the decisive factor in the genesis of a picture should be the inner voice of the artist. “Thus the uncontrollable subjectivity of outer appearances would be countered by a conception based on inner impressions” (p. 55). Kandinsky had possessed from childhood a pronounced capacity to absorb impressions and at time felt crammed to excess with feelings and emotions. He lamented that civil servants could relax after work, but that he still had to see continuously.
On the Spiritual in Art is divided into two sections. The first comprises a series of philosophical reflections on art, and the second is a treatise on color. Kandinsky opens his essay with the observation that the “imitation of the artistic principles of past eras can only lead at best to soulless works devoid of inner meaning” (p. 57).
Tags: Art, Kandinsky, Spirituality
