Wassily Kandinsky was born in 1866…to put that in perspective, that’s about the time of the end of the Civil War in the United States. He was born in Moscow, where his father was a tea merchant. His parents valued the arts, both being piano players, and so encouraged young Wassily to read and play music at an early age. Music would later become a main influence in his artwork, and perhaps in the way he saw the world.
As a young adult, Wassily enrolled at Moscow University where he chose to study law and economics. This is the time of his life when he also became fascinated with spirituality, which he would later draw upon in his art. While at the university studying law, art was more of a hobby.
An exhibition he attended in 1896 in Paris of Monet’s impressionistic work startled Kandinsky. He couldn’t get it out of his mind. It was the first time he had observed art that didn’t exactly imitate the subject matter. It was art where the painting techniques, expression, style and colors had more importance than exactly replicating reality. It was art that portrayed a quality from the soul of the artist. Kandinsky was enchanted.
…to be continued…
