Concerning the Spiritual in Art Book

Theory is the lamp which sheds light on the petrified ideas of yesterday and of the more distant past.
The first time I saw a painting by Kandinsky was in the Guggenheim Museum. Back then, I really didn't have much appreciation for visual art, least of all abstract paintings. Nevertheless, I remember being intrigued, and finally fascinated by his work. The way he was able to select forms reminiscent of, but not dependent on, real-life objects delighted my eye. Later, I saw a special exhibition of Kandinsky's work in Madrid. It was divided by place and time, taking me through his Russian, German, and Parisian period, during which he moved from representative art to complete abstraction. I came away from that exhibit with my interest in Kandinsky re-confirmed, and now I can say that he is one of my favorite 20th century artists.

Concerning the Spiritual in Art is a short book (more like an extended essay) by Kandinsky, detailing his personal philosophy of art. For Kandinsky, the artist is like a prophet, able to see farther, think more deeply, and feel more keenly than ordinary people. The great artist's function is to satisfy the cravings of the spirit. In music this is done through rhythm and melody; in painting through color and form. The spiritual function of art has been hampered by what Kandinsky calls materialism'representative art. The accurate reproduction of an object's appearance is pointless in itself; what matters is its truth to the inner, not the outer, reality. Then follows a long chapter on Kandinsky's theory of colors'which colors evoke which emotions, and their relationship to one another.

As a work of theory, Kandinsky's book is somewhat disappointing. It is more of a manifesto than a treatise'a simple declaration of Kandinsky's opinions. As such, it is more interesting as a look into the mind of a great artist than as a piece of art theory. Kandinsky's discussion of colors and shapes, for example, is silly as analysis, but fascinating as a peek into Kandinsky's brain. Triangles, circles, squares; reds, yellows, blues'all these were like characters for Kandinsky, with their own personalities and temperaments. It was a pleasure to get to know him better.