Abdul Kandinsky Essay

Essay

In the early 20th century, modern art saw a departure from realistic imagery to art which has no immediately recognisable reference to physical objects, later known as abstract art. The shift dismantled and rewrote perhaps all of ‘traditional’ art’s accepted rules and has remained in the vanguard of the artistic community since its birth. Abstraction was born from a nexus of ideas shared by creative intellectuals from around the world. Essentially, it is the outcome of modern artists’ relationships with each other, and with the products of creative fields. In particular, music was a crucial factor in the development of abstract art.

Wassily Kandinsky, often regarded as the pioneer of abstract art, was heavily influenced by music. He

In fact, after attending the concert Marc wrote to fellow painter Aguste Macke and discussed the similarities he found between Schoenberg’s compositions and some of Kandinsky’s paintings: “Can you imagine a music in which tonality. . . is completely suspended? I was constantly reminded of Kandinsky’s large Composition, which also permits no trace of tonality. . .and also Kandinsky’s “jumping spots” [springende Flecken] in hearing this music, which allows each tone sounded on stand on its own (a kind of white canvas between the pots of color!).” This is a clear example of how the ideas which lead to the development of abstraction were transmitted between creative fields and individuals. For Kandinsky, his introduction to Schoenberg was a pivotal juncture in his journey to abstract art. The two began to communicate ideas through correspondence; in a letter to the composer Kandinsky writes: “the greatest necessity for musicians today is the overthrow of the ‘eternal laws of harmony’. . . With us [painters], the most necessary thing is to show the possibilities of composition (or construction) and to set up a general (very general) principle. That is the task I have begun in my book – in very ‘free’ strokes.”2 Kandinsky used musical theory as a model and aimed to expand the potential of compositional rules, with a focus on the

In his letter to Macke, Marc also expressed his own response to the concert: “Schoenberg proceeds from the principle that the concepts of consonance and dissonance do not exist at all. A so-called dissonance is only more remote consonance—an idea which now occupies me constantly while painting.”2 Marc was interested in the idea of a composition without consonance; a renunciation of any conscious thought or compositional rules. Many painters were attracted to this concept as the ‘dissonance’ phenomenon gained traction in the creative sphere. Author Thomas J. Harrison spoke on intentions of this phenomenon: “proponents of atonal music and abstract painting were both determined to articulate tensions that hitherto received no legitimate form.” Essentially, dissonance was about expressing emotions and ideas which were had previously not represented. While dissonance influenced many different creative fields, it primarily affected painters and musicians. It encouraged the rejection of harmony in both musical and painterly compositions. For painters, this meant the abandonment of subject matter and the departure from the principles of traditional composition