"Color is a power which directly influences the soul." ~Wassily Kandinsky
In an effort to learn about the world of abstract art, today we embark on a study of the art form. Abstract art is a big question mark for many of us. What's it all about? It seems to be an art form that allows the viewer's eyes to see what they see. Having said that, my curiosity is being challenged to learn about the artists and their works.
We'll begin with Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944), a Russian painter and art theorist, who is credited as one of the pioneers of abstraction in western art. After his parents divorced, he was sent to live with his aunt. It was there that he first discovered the magic of colors. He focused on both the visual and the auditory. He heard sounds as colors, and it was this perception that was his guiding force in the development of this new style.
In 1903, the artist painted his first milestone work, "Der Blaue Reiter" or The Blue Rider, a scene of a horseman wearing a blue cloak galloping through a meadow on a white horse...with a forest in the background.
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| Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) ~1903 |
Notice the shapeless shadows in the foreground. The horse represents high energy as it races through a rocky meadow. The blue rider in the painting is without detail, a pivotal work in his transition toward abstraction a few years later.
- The rider on horseback serves as a metaphor for the artist's journey toward the freedom to explore beyond traditional artistic boundaries.
- The horse carries its rider with untamed strength and speed, yet it is the rider who steers the horse. Talent steers the artist to the highest heights with that same untamed strength and speed, but it is the artist who is the master of his talent.
- For Wassily Kandinsky, the color blue symbolized spirituality and the ability to move beyond the limitations of reality.
- In 1911, Kandinsky wrote: "The deeper the blue, the more it beckons man into the infinite, arousing a longing for purity and the super sensuous."
If we're gonna explore abstract art, it makes sense to define abstraction in art. It is the process of simplifying or distorting shapes, forms and colors to focus on deeper ideas and experiences, rather than depicting the world as we see it. It is characterized by paint strokes and splashes of color, intended to conjure up a personal interpretation without any direct connection to the physical world. Abstract art makes the art experience more interactive.
Let's have fun with this. "The beauty of abstract art is that anyone can take what they see and interpret it however they wish."