ART

An authoritative chronology of the iconic work of one of the great figures of 20th-century modernism, Wassily Kandinsky. Philippe Sers is a philosopher, art historian and publisher with a special interest in the work of Wassily Kandinsky. He has written many books and articles, and currently lectures in history and philosophy of art at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris.

335 illustrations 31.0 x 28.0cm 340pp ISBN 978 0 500 093979 January £60.00

Kandinsky The Elements of Art Philippe Sers The richness of Wassily Kandinsky’s life, work and thought make him one of the leading figures of 20th-century art. A founder member of Der Blaue Reiter, his theories influenced many of the major artistic movements of his time, including Dada, the Bauhaus, De Stijl and Russian Constructivism. He also had fruitful relationships with artists and musicians including Marcel Duchamp, Paul Klee, Arnold Schoenberg and Thomas de Hartmann. This book traces the evolution of Kandinsky’s art, drawing on a wealth of documents from the artist’s own workshop, including autobiographical writings, correspondence and theoretical essays, to shed new light on his prolific creative imagination. Kandinsky divided his work into three categories: impressions (observations of the exterior world), improvisations (expressions of inner feeling) and compositions (images on a grander scale that brought inner and outer visions together). His art is also marked by two intersecting axes: the first moving from the figurative to the abstract, the second from the profane to the sacred. This volume coincides with the 150th anniversary of Kandinsky’s birth, uncovering the well of imagery behind his paintings, prints and poetry, and exploring his passionate belief in the spiritual and harmonizing power of art.

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