Wassily Kandinsky

Explore the life, ideas, and works of Wassily Kandinsky—the pioneer of abstraction. His evolution from law to avant-garde artist, his spiritual and musical theories of color, and his lasting influence on modern art.

Introduction

Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky (born December 4, 1866 [Old Style; December 16 new style] – died December 13, 1944) is widely acknowledged as one of the founding fathers of abstract art.

Over a lifetime the artist traversed Russia, Germany, and France; he participated in key avant-garde movements (e.g. Der Blaue Reiter) and taught at the Bauhaus, all while refining a theory of abstraction grounded in inner necessity, synesthesia, and spiritual intuition.

In what follows, we trace his biography, his phases of evolution, the ideas behind his art, his legacy, and some of his memorable quotations.

Early Life and Intellectual Formation

Wassily Kandinsky was born in Moscow into a family of privilege—his father was a tea merchant. Odessa and Moscow, and as a young man studied law and economics, earning a doctorate before turning to art.

Though he pursued law, Kandinsky was drawn early to color, art, and symbolism. He later recalled that his travels through northern Russia to the Vologda region left a deep impression, when he saw houses and churches with shimmering, ornamented color schemes—he felt as though entering a painting.

At about age 30, he left his legal career to move to Munich to study painting—first privately (e.g. at Anton Ažbe’s school) and later at the Academy of Fine Arts. This decisive leap marked the beginning of his transformation from dilettante to full-time artist and theorist.

Career Phases, Movements & Artistic Evolution

Kandinsky’s artistic journey can be understood in several overlapping periods, corresponding to changing styles, theoretical development, and the shifting contexts of Europe in the early to mid-20th century.

Der Blaue Reiter & Early Abstraction

In 1911, Kandinsky co-founded the Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) group in Munich with Franz Marc and others.

During the Blue Rider period, Kandinsky produced Impressions, Improvisations, and early partially abstract works. He began reducing representational elements, experimenting with color and form as expressive forces in themselves.

Return to Russia and Turbulent Years

When World War I broke out, Kandinsky returned to Russia (1914). There he engaged in cultural administration (after the Russian Revolution) and participated in Soviet art institutions.

By 1920, Kandinsky left for Germany again, joining the modernist milieu and reimmersing himself in the European avant garde.

Bauhaus Years (1922–1933)

In 1922 Kandinsky joined the Bauhaus in Weimar (later Dessau), where he taught basic design (Formlehre), color theory, and painting courses.

Works from this era, like Yellow-Red-Blue (1925), show a mature clarity: strong geometric shapes, interplay of color zones, and dynamic compositional tension. Point and Line to Plane (1926), which formally theorized the relationships among geometric elements in visual art.

However, the rise of Nazi hostility to modernism forced the Bauhaus to close, and in 1933 Kandinsky relocated to France (settling in Neuilly-sur-Seine).

Later Period and “Great Synthesis”

In France, Kandinsky continued creating, now integrating biomorphic, organic forms with geometric logic—a synthesis of his previous modes.

He painted almost until his death in 1944 at age 77.

Artistic Philosophy, Theories & Style

Inner Necessity & Spiritual Impulse

Central to Kandinsky’s philosophy is the notion of inner necessity: that true art must spring from internal necessity in the artist, not external imitation or decorative whim.

His early theoretical landmark was Concerning the Spiritual in Art (1910), in which he argued that color and form have inner, symbolic power akin to musical tones.

Synesthesia, Color & Music Analogies

Kandinsky often likened painting to music: color was to him like musical tone; composition was akin to a symphony of forms. He believed combinations of colors could evoke emotional “vibrations.”

He assigned symbolism to shapes: circles, lines, angles, curves each had psychological and spiritual connotations.

From Representation to Pure Abstraction

Kandinsky’s stylistic shift progressed gradually—first still recognizable landscapes and symbolic images, then semi-abstract works, and then complete abstraction where no representation remained.

His art is often categorized by terms he used: Impressions (loosely representational), Improvisations (spontaneous, emotional abstractions), and Compositions (meticulously structured, fully abstract works).

Legacy in Theory & Practice

Beyond his paintings, Kandinsky’s writings (especially Concerning the Spiritual in Art and Point and Line to Plane) influenced generations of artists and theorists.

His impact on Bauhaus pedagogy, European modernism, and the trajectory of abstraction is profound and enduring.

Legacy and Influence

• Kandinsky is often credited as one of the first truly abstract painters, breaking with centuries of representation-based art.

• His theoretical work helped legitimize abstraction as a serious, spiritual language of art—not merely decorative.

• Through the Bauhaus, he influenced countless students and modern artists.

• His synthesis of form, color, and theory has become a foundation for much of abstract and nonrepresentational art of the 20th and 21st centuries.

• Museums worldwide preserve his major works; and his name is often invoked when discussing the spiritual, synesthetic, and formal potentials of art.

Memorable Quotes from Wassily Kandinsky

• “Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmony, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand which plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul.”

• “Everything starts from a dot.”

• “There are no lines in nature, only areas of colour, one against another.”

• “The guiding harmony of inner necessity is the compelling reason for every artistic act.”

• “To carry out my idea, I must somewhere begin. One can't begin with nothing. Hence, a point. ‘Everything begins with a point’ – from here the line develops into a plane.”

These statements reflect the deep interweaving in his mind of color, form, intuition, and inner experience.

Lessons from Kandinsky’s Life & Art

1. Trust inner necessity — artistic creativity guided from within, not by external expectation, yields deeper resonance.

2. Embrace abstraction as language — forms, color, and composition can speak in music-like language beyond literal depiction.

3. Explore synesthetic thinking — cross-sensory analogies (seeing color, hearing tone) can expand expressive possibilities.

4. Balance theory and practice — Kandinsky’s philosophical writings and his painting practice were inseparable and mutually reinforcing.

5. Remain open to synthesis and renewal — his later work shows that even mature styles can evolve, re-integrating organic and geometric modes.

6. Art as spiritual path — for Kandinsky, creating art was not just aesthetic, but a means of spiritual expression and transformation.

Conclusion

Wassily Kandinsky stands as a towering figure in the history of modern art—a pioneer who dared to strip away representation and invite the visual realm into the realm of the spiritual, the musical, and the purely formal. His paintings and writings continue to inspire and challenge: each canvas is not just color on canvas, but an invitation to attune to inner vibrations, to see rhythm and harmony in form, and to consider art as a bridge between the visible and the invisible.