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Kandinsky, Wassily (Russian, 1866-1944)'s works |
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Wassily Kandinsky
(1866-1944)
Wassily Kandinsky was born in Moscow into a merchant family. In 1871 the family moved to Odessa, where his parents soon divorced. The boy was looked after by his aunt. In Odessa Kandinsky studied in a classical gymnasium and had private lessons in music, drawing and painting. In 1886 he returned to Moscow to begin studying law and economics at the Moscow University. While a student, in 1889, he got commissioned by the "Society for Natural Science, Ethnography and Anthropology" to go on a research expedition to Vologda. The strong folk art of northern Russia made a lasting impression on him, and the results of his trip made an impression on the Society, which chose him their member.
In 1892 Kandinsky got his Law degree. He became a lecturer at the Moscow University, and married his cousin Anna (Anya) Chimiakina. He pursued his academic career but at the same time paid more and more attention to art. Thus in 1895 he took the post of art director of a publishing house in Moscow. The year of 1896 was a turning point in Kandinsky's life ¨C he refused an offer from the University of Tartu to head one of their departments in order to devote himself to the study of painting. Together with his wife, who was very reluctant to leave Moscow and the settled life, he went to Munich and began his art studies at Azb¨¨'s art school. The school of Anton Azb¨¨ was very popular among Russians, but brought only disappointment to Kandinsky, he found drawing "smelly, apathetic, expressionless, characterless" models thoroughly disgusting. Nevertheless he dutifully took the classes for two years, simultaneously visiting a course of anatomy and working en pleine-air every day. At Azb¨¨'s Kandinsky met two compatriot painters, Alexis von Jawlensky and Marianne von Werefkin, who became close friends of his.
In 1900 Kandinsky entered the Munich academy of art, the class of Franz von Stuck, "the foremost German draughtsman" of the period.
Active creativity and organizational capabilities always attracted different intellectuals who were in search of new tendencies in art to Kandinsky. Indeed, organization and teaching were to become the main strands that would run alongside Kandinsky's artistic activities throughout his life. He was never solely a painter, but a theoretician, and organizer at the same time. Gifted author he expressed his views on art and artistic activity in his numerous writings.
In 1901 in Munich together with Rolf Niczky, Waldemar Hecker, Gustav Freytag and Wilhelm H¨¹ggen he founded "Phalanx", an association for avant-garde artists. During four years the association organized twelve exhibitions of its members. The same year the "Phalanx School of Painting" opened under Kandinsky's directorship. It was in the "Palanx School" that Kandinsky met Ga.... |
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[1] [2] [3] [4] |
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