Wassily Kandinsky

Wassily Kandinsky was born in Moscow to a family of French origin. He studied law and economics at the University of Moscow and became a lecturer after graduation. He was fascinated by colour and music and began to study painting at the age of 30. He moved to Munich in 1896 and enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts. He was influenced by the Impressionists, the Fauves, and the Jugendstil. He experimented with different styles and techniques, such as pointillism, divisionism, and woodcuts. He also wrote about his theories of art, such as Concerning the Spiritual in Art (1911) and Point and Line to Plane (1926). He believed that colour and form could express the inner feelings of the artist and evoke emotions in the viewer. He aimed to create a universal language of art that transcended the boundaries of culture and time. He was one of the founders of the avant-garde group Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) in 1911, along with Franz Marc, August Macke, and others. He also participated in the exhibitions of the Neue Künstlervereinigung München (New Artists' Association of Munich) and the Salon des Indépendants in Paris. He created his first abstract paintings around 1910, using geometric shapes, lines, and colours to convey his musical impressions. He considered his Composition VII (1913) to be his most complex work, as it combined elements of landscape, mythology, and spirituality. He returned to Russia in 1914, after the outbreak of World War I. He taught at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture and the Vkhutemas (Higher Art and Technical Studios). He also worked as a cultural administrator and organized the Institute of Artistic Culture and the Museum of Pictorial Culture. He was influenced by the Constructivists and the Suprematists, but he also faced criticism for his abstract style. He moved to Germany in 1921 and joined the Bauhaus, a school of art and design that promoted the integration of art, technology, and society. He taught the basic design class and the advanced theory class. He also continued to paint and exhibit his works, such as On White II (1923) and Several Circles (1926). He developed his own geometric vocabulary, using circles, squares, triangles, and zigzags to create dynamic compositions. He also experimented with different media, such as watercolour, oil, and collage. He moved to France in 1933, after the Nazis closed the Bauhaus and condemned his art as "degenerate". He settled in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, and became a French citizen in 1939. He painted his last abstract works, such as Dominant Curve (1936) and Sky Blue (1940). He also introduced biomorphic forms, such as amoebas, embryos, and insects, to suggest the organic and cosmic aspects of life. He died in 1944 of cerebral arteriosclerosis. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and original artists of the 20th century. His works are in the collections of many museums, such as the Guggenheim Museum, the Centre Pompidou, and the Tate Modern.