- Paperback: 972 pages
- Publisher: Da Capo Press (1 Jan 1994)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0306805707
- ISBN-13: 978-0306805707
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.4 x 5.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 44,859 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Synopsis
Of all the giants of twentieth-century art, Wassily Kandinsky (18661944) was the most prolific writer. Here, available for the first time in paperback, are all of Kandinsky's writings on art, newly translated into English. Editors Kenneth C. Lindsay and Peter Vergo have taken their translations directly from Kandinsky's original texts, and have included select interviews, lecture notes, and newly discovered items along with his more formal writings. The pieces range from one-page essays to the book-length treatises On the Spiritual in Art (1911) and Point and Line to Plane (1926), and are arranged in chronological order from 1901 to 1943. The poetry, good enough to stand on its literary merits, is presented with all the original accompanying illustrations. And the book's design follows Kandinsky's intentions, preserving the spirit of the original typography and layout. Kandinsky was nearly thirty before he bravely gave up an academic career in law for his true passion, painting. Though his art was marked by extraordinarily varied styles, Kandinsky sought a pure art throughout, one which would express the soul, or "inner necessity," of the artist.His uncompromising search for an art which would elicit a response to itself rather than to the object depicted resulted in the birth of nonobjective artand in these writings, Kandinsky offered the first cogent explanation of his aims. His language was characterized by its desire for vivification, of the infusion of life into mundane things. Considered as a whole, Kandinskys writings exceed all expectations of what an artist should accomplish with words. Not only do his ideas and observations make us rethink the nature of art and the way it reflects the aspirations of his era, but they touch on matters vital to the situation of the human soul.
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First Sentence
Together with his survey of Munich exhibitions published in Mir Iskusstva [The world of Art] (see p. 45), this was Kandinsky's first major essay on art. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Together with his survey of Munich exhibitions published in Mir Iskusstva [The world of Art] (see p. 45), this was Kandinsky's first major essay on art. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you have heard about Kandinsky, you will know that he is a '20th century great', and has been credited with making the world's first truly abstract paintings. However, his artistic ambition went even further. He wanted to evoke sound through sight and create in painting the equivalent of a symphony that would stimulate not just the eyes but the ears as well, a new visual form of music. Kandinsky is believed to have had synaesthesia, a condition that allows a person to appreciate sounds, colours or words with two or more senses simultaneously. In his case, colours and painted marks triggered particular sounds or musical notes and vice versa.
On the net, you can find various articles, extracts of his writings, etc, which in themselves are fascinating to explore, but this book "KANDINSKY Complete Writings on Art" is the real answer, as it contains everything he wrote about art. Not a book to read through, like a novel, but one to access and refer to, whenever you need to; at least, that is what I have been doing - very happily and successfully!
On the net, you can find various articles, extracts of his writings, etc, which in themselves are fascinating to explore, but this book "KANDINSKY Complete Writings on Art" is the real answer, as it contains everything he wrote about art. Not a book to read through, like a novel, but one to access and refer to, whenever you need to; at least, that is what I have been doing - very happily and successfully!
12 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An obligatory text for any visual, aural, or literary artist, and a necessity for any true understanding of the nature of artistic creation.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
7 reviews
21 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Modern Art: A Wealth of Primary Sources
11 Jan 2004
Format:Paperback
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.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
excellent for the price
2 Jan 2009
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm learning a lot from reading Kandinsky and it is wonderful to have his writings all in one place. This version has publishing hiccups (some page repeats, distracting word spacing, occasionally blurry printing) but no deal breakers and for the price I paid (used) it's a good deal. Five stars for content, one or two stars for presentation. If you're fussy keep looking but do not overlook Kandinsky.
A Must Read
15 Feb 2010
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I left the recent exhibit at the Guggenheim pretty well confused as to how Kandinsky made his pictures work - especially the drawings & watercolors. They had a copy of this book in their reading room. When I got back home I found it on Amazon. I've been reading through this for about a month now. It's slow reading, but it may unlock the secrets of his complex compositions for me. His examples will provide the support for my studies for a long, long time.
Just remember that much of it is purely Kandinsky's opinions based on his Russian Orthodox religion. You will have to examine the passages on spirituality in terms of your own experience and decide for yourself how to project his pedagogue into your own work.
If you do non-representational art or are even at all interested in abstract art, you must read this book.
Just remember that much of it is purely Kandinsky's opinions based on his Russian Orthodox religion. You will have to examine the passages on spirituality in terms of your own experience and decide for yourself how to project his pedagogue into your own work.
If you do non-representational art or are even at all interested in abstract art, you must read this book.
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