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Wassily Kandinsky Quotes

Artist

Wassily Kandinsky, born on December 16, 1866, and died on December 13, 1944, was a prominent artist from Russia. He is considered one of the pioneers of abstract art and his works have had a profound impact on 20th-century art.

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All Art Color Soul Artist Eye Spirit Spiritual Art Is Form World Painting Children Effects Objects Works Of Art Canvas Creating Art Inspiring Abstract Age

Famous Wassily Kandinsky Quotes

“Color directly influences the soul. Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammers, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another purposively, to cause vibrations in the soul.”

Soul Artist Music Color Aesthetics

Book:Concerning the spiritual in art

Source: Concerning the spiritual in art

“I value those artists who embody the expression of their life.”

Artist Values Expression

Author:Wassily Kandinsky

“In place of an intensive cooperation among artists, there is a battle for goods. Hatred, partisanship, cliques, jealousy, and intrigues are the natural consequences of an aimless, materialist art.”

Art Artist Natural Battle Consequence Hatred Jealousy Goods Cooperation Intrigue Partisanship Clique Natural Consequences

Book:Concerning the Spiritual in Art: And Painting in Particular

Source: Concerning the Spiritual in Art: And Painting in Particular

“I really believe that I am the first and only artist to throw not just the 'subject' out of my paintings, but every 'object' as well.”

Firsts Believe Wells Artist Subjects Objects Painting

Author:Wassily Kandinsky

“The work of art is born of the artist in a mysterious and secret way. From him it gains life and being. Nor is its existence casual and inconsequent, but it has a definite and purposeful strength, alike in its material and spiritual life.”

Way Art Spiritual Artist Born Secret Existence Materials Art Is Gains Mysterious Works Of Art Spiritual Life Definite Casual

Book:Concerning the spiritual in art

Source: Concerning the spiritual in art

“In general, therefore, color is a means of exerting a direct influence upon the soul. Color is the keyboard. The eye is the hammer. The soul is the piano with its many strings. The artist is the hand that purposefully sets the soul vibrating by means of this or that key.”

Mean Soul Hands Eye Artist Influence Color Keys Direct Piano Strings Hammers Keyboards

Book:Kandinsky, Complete Writings on Art

Source: Kandinsky, Complete Writings on Art

“Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul.”

Source: Concerning the spiritual in art, and painting in particular: 1912

“The artist must train not only his eye but also his soul.”

Art Soul Eye Artist Train His Eyes Soul Train

Book:Concerning the spiritual in art

Source: Concerning the spiritual in art

“The artist must be blind to distinction between 'recognized' or 'unrecognized' conventions of form, deaf to the transitory teaching and demands of his particular age.”

Age Form Artist Teaching Particular Demand Blind Distinction Conventions Deaf Transitory

Book:Concerning the spiritual in art

Source: Concerning the spiritual in art

“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.”

Art Real Spiritual Artist Born Existence Subjects Creation Personality Art Is Breaths Independent Mysterious Acquire Works Of Art Mystical Animated Serendipity Autonomous Enigmatic

Author:Wassily Kandinsky

“There is no must in art because art is free.”

Art Artist Freedom Art Is Painter Fine Arts Visual Art Famous Artist Art And Artists Inspirational Artist Abstract Art Inspirational Art Art Galleries Visual Artist Inspiration And Art

Book:Concerning the spiritual in art

Source: Concerning the spiritual in art

“The artist is the hand that, by touching this or that key, sets the soul vibrating automatically.”

Soul Hands Artist Keys Touching

Author:Wassily Kandinsky

“The artist must have something to say, for mastery over form is not his goal but rather the adapting of form to its inner meaning.”

Art Form Artist Goal Mastery Adapting

Book:Concerning the spiritual in art

Source: Concerning the spiritual in art

“The artist is not a 'Sunday child' for whom everything immediately succeeds. He does not have the right to live without duty. The task that is assigned to him is painful, it is a heavy cross for him to bear.”

Children Doe Artist Duty Bears Succeed Crosses Tasks Painful Heavy Sunday

Author:Wassily Kandinsky

“The artist must train not only his eye but also his soul, so that it can weigh colours in its own scale and thus become a determinant in artistic creation.”

Soul Eye Artist Creation Train Scales Artistic His Eyes Colour Artistic Creation

Book:Concerning the Spiritual in Art: And Painting in Particular

Source: Concerning the Spiritual in Art: And Painting in Particular

“Every artist, as child of his age, is impelled to express the spirit of his age.”

Children Art Age Spirit Artist

Book:Concerning the spiritual in art

Source: Concerning the spiritual in art

“With few exceptions, music has been for some centuries the art which has devoted itself not to the reproduction of natural phenomena, but rather to the expression of the artist's soul, in musical sound.”

Has Beens Art Soul Artist Sound Natural Inspiring Century Expression Musical Exception Devoted Reproduction Creating Art Natural Phenomena

Book:Kandinsky

Source: Kandinsky

About the Author

Born: December 16, 1866
Died: December 13, 1944
Known for: Artist
Quotes: 99

Books & Sources

Concerning the spiritual in artRelated source material

Concerning the Spiritual in Art: And Painting in ParticularRelated source material

Kandinsky, Complete Writings on ArtRelated source material

Concerning the spiritual in art, and painting in particular: 1912Related source material

KandinskyRelated source material

Delphi Collected Works of Wassily Kandinsky (Illustrated)Related source material

Kandinsky Watercolours: Exhibition May 23-June 28, 1970, Art Gallery of OntarioRelated source material

Kandinsky compositionsRelated source material

Kandinsky, Complete Writings on Art: 1922-1943Related source material

Kandinsky, Russia and the Bauhaus, 1912-1932: January 5-Febr Uary 11, 1984Related source material

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