Vasily Kandinsky

I made it to the Kandinsky exhibit last week before it closed! Rushing to a museum after work, even if I only have an hour there made me happy to live in NYC once again! It was also extremely relaxing. I should really make it a habit once a month to do something creative directly following my long day at the office.

The exhibit was astounding. Getting to the Guggenheim with just an hour before closing, it is recommended that you start from the top floor down. This is because the top floors close earlier than the bottom. However, you will have to see the artists more recent works first and his or her earlier pieces last. In regards to Kandinsky, this was perfect for me. I loved his later work much more than his earlier pieces. The work on view spanned five decades from 1907 - 1942. It could be the work that I enjoyed the most was when he was teaching at the Bauhaus, which was in the 1920s. Or in the end, he offered such clean, beautifully chaotic pieces that I could not help but be more drawn to them. Like the one above to the right entitled "Succession".

The exhibit also touched upon how Kandinsky viewed music and art. "Kandinsky, who was also an accomplished musician, saw color when he heard music, and associated a color’s tone with musical timbre, hue with pitch, and saturation with the volume of sound. Music influenced his art to such a degree that Kandinsky named his works after musical terms." I love the line, he saw color when he heard music. Don't we all if we really think about it?

One other aspect that I particularly enjoyed (and what made the exhibit completely worth seeing) was his sketches that were found in the annex rooms. The piece to the above left was one of his sketches. Some of them were line drawings and other like this one, combined lines with perfectly drawn geometric shapes.

Kandinsky's work, like Paul Klee's and Joan Miro's hold a special place in my heart. I will be working on a textile print based on one particular sketch of Kandinsky. I only hope I can represent his work with such formulaic grace.