Wassily Kandinsky
Pioneer of abstract art
Most quoted
"The artist must be blind to 'recognized' or 'unrecognized' form, deaf to the teachings of his time or the desires of his public. His open eyes must be directed to his inner life and his ears to the voice of inner necessity. Then he will seize all the means of expression from the outer world."
— from Concerning the Spiritual in Art, 1911
"The true work of art is born from the 'artist': a mysterious, enigmatic, and mystical creation. It detaches itself from him, it acquires an autonomous life, becomes a personality, an independent subject, animated with a spiritual breath, the living subject of a real existence of being."
— from Concerning the Spiritual in Art, 1911
"The true work of art is born from the 'artist': a mysterious, enigmatic, and mystical creation. It detaches itself from him, it acquires an autonomous life, becomes a personality, an independent spiritual subject, an animate being that lives, breathes, and has a real existence."
— from Concerning the Spiritual in Art, 1911
All quotes by Wassily Kandinsky (342)
The work of art is a spiritual event.
The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul.
The deeper the blue, the more it calls man into the infinite, awakening in him a longing for purity and the supernatural.
White, although often considered a non-color, is the symbol of a world where all colors, as material properties, have disappeared. It is a world of infinite possibilities.
Black is outwardly the color of nothingness, but inwardly it is the color of a profound silence, without any possibilities.
Yellow is a typically earthly color. It never has a profound meaning. It is the color of madness, of blind rage, of obsession.
Blue is the typical heavenly color. It develops in its highest intensity a supernatural element.
Green is the most restful color. It is the color of nature, of hope, of peace.
Red is a very lively, vivid, restless color. It is the color of passion, of love, of anger.
Orange is like a man convinced of his own powers.
Violet is a cooled-down red, both physically and spiritually. It is the color of sadness, of melancholy, of resignation.
The artist is a king who has to rule over his kingdom.
The artist must be free to choose his own forms, his own colors, his own subjects.
The artist must be a master of his craft, but he must also be a master of his soul.
The artist must be a seer, a prophet, a visionary.
The artist must be a revolutionary, a rebel, a destroyer of old forms.
The artist must be a creator of new forms, new colors, new worlds.
The artist must be a bridge between the spiritual and the material.
The artist must be a guide, a leader, a teacher.
The artist must be a healer, a comforter, a consoler.
Contemporaries of Wassily Kandinsky
Other Visual Artss born within 50 years of Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944).