Kandinsky Expressionist Art – Wassily Kandinsky’s Art Biography

Kandinsky was slow to enter the art world, at 30 he gave up his promising teaching career to bravely enter the art school in Munich. At this early stage Kandinsky gained inspiration from Monet & Blavatsky. He also was interested in Theosophical theory which influenced his use of circles, triangles, and squares.

Kandinsky’s mature age, relatively to his fellow students at art school, helped him to progress securely and also learn the art of theorism which played a key role in his artistic directions. Kandinsky eventually ended up in the Blue Rose symbolist group of Moscow after travelling around Europe.

Kandinsky’s The Blue Rider, or Der Blaue Reiter, involved a use of strong forms and objects with intersecting lines to form a complex maze of rich colour and expression.

After returning to Russia Kandinsky had much to deal with in the political changes of the country. He spent his time teaching form and colour analysis, and also joined the Institute of Artistic Culture in Moscow. After finding his art rejected by some key members of the Institute Kandinsky chose to seek a new path by attending the Bauhaus of Weimar.

The Blue Four was an exciting tour of artists that sped around the US discussing and teaching of their art & theoretical views. This art group included Klee, Feininger and von Jawlensky. They then moved onto Germany but Kandinsky experienced problems with the Nazis and found a safer option in Paris, where he settled.

Kandinsky’s time in Paris led to isolation due to the minority status of his abstract movement in the world’s capital of art. Impressionism and Cubism were much bigger here. Here he used more fluid shapes in his works.