While in Munich a prestigious group of likeminded artists was formed in 1911 in Munich, led by Kandinsky. Their name was “The Blue Rider” – “Der Blaue Reiter.” German expressionists such as Franz Marc and August Macke belonged to this amazing group where they shared similar interest in abstracted forms and colors. The actual name Der Blaue Reiter is German for The Blue Rider. It referenced key motifs found in Marc and Kandinsky’s work: the horse and rider or jockey. The horse and rider symbolized a multitude of emotion and expression for moving beyond the realist approach and focusing on abstraction and color and the harmony of the natural world. The flattened interpretation and simplified or reductive forms of woodcut that were commonly …show more content…
found in the Blue Rider group, assisted the artists on the right path of abstraction in their own works. During the early 20th century there wasn’t a movement, association, school, or membership that had a definite program that focused on abstract art and color solely. Der Blaue Reiter changed that hurriedly and became an organization of artists focused on abstraction, color, and modern ideas. The organization came together and organized various amounts of group shows between 1911 and 1914; only two shows were exhibited. The group also published an almanac with their views on modern art. In the year 1914 due to the August outbreak of World War I, Franz Marc and another member of the organization were killed in action; moreover Der Blaue Reiter was further discontinued. Color is one of the most important things an artist uses in art.
Kandinsky, one of the first abstract painters, was heavily interested in color in art. He developed various theories and ideas on the attributes of color in art and the best way to use them in his own art. Different emotions and energy are created depending on the amount of color used in an artwork such as if one color is used versus three colors. The energy that color creates in art can also set the tone of a piece. Color can cause ones feelings of emotion to become to sleepy or stressed, happy and excited, sad and angry, energized, and so much more. Kandinsky came up with a color theory that focuses on basic points. Kandinsky chose colors such as yellow, green, blue, red and the shades of red, brown, orange, violet, white, black, and grey. He felt that yellow evoked warm, cheeky and exciting feelings. Green was a color that meant peace or stillness and an absolute absence of movement. Although these feelings could be a good feeling for most, it could eventually evoke boredom. He felt that blue was a heavenly color and the lighter it is, the more calming it becomes. If Kandinsky genuinely had a favorite color it undoubtedly was blue. He mentions that the deeper the color blue becomes, the more strongly it will call a man towards the unbounded, inciting in this man a desire for the pure the supernatural. He mention that the brighter the color blue becomes, the more it begins to lose its sound and after losing its sound it turns into a silent stillness and becomes white. Kandinsky's belief in color and the emotional connection it causes in art is evident in all of his work. The many colors in Kandinsky’s color theory have definite meaning and further show that color was much more than a tone or palette choice in art for him. Although Kandinsky was coined the Father of Abstract Expressionism, his works would be nothing without
color. Another influence on Kandinsky’s art was Music. Music played a similar role as color in the production of his works. Having a background in music helped inspire him to create high spiritual artworks rather than visual fidelity. During his time spent in Germany, Kandinsky was easily swept away by the rising of music written in nearly any key, which inspired him to create art reflective of this emotion and enable his art of abstract expressionism to become one of a kind. Music influenced Kandinsky in numerous ways and led him to pursue the adventure of creating paintings that were as notional or abstract, spiritual, and emotionally powerful. Kandinsky was able to a draw an analogy between abstract painting and music. One of the greatest musical influences on Kandinsky's artistic career was Arnold Schoenberg, a Viennese composer. Schoenberg and Kandinsky became long-time friends. Like Kandinsky, Schoenberg was also exploring his artistic field of music by trying to produce new styles of music that caused emotional connections and captivated its listeners. Schoenberg’s attempt to create something new would start him on a path of creating music that played in nearly any key. This is a form of atonal music that played with free chromaticism, tones that had no particular harmony or direction. Schoenberg’s musical approach completely changed the path of traditional music that would focus on harmony, lack of dissonance, and keys that were meant to be played together. Schoenberg used what he called "developing variations” in his music, which were chromatic. In developing variations the theme never stayed the same while producing many sounds simultaneously. Kandinsky attended many of Schoenberg’s performances and after attending a performance in Munich he focused on sketches and paintings that were primarily based on music and color. I love how Schoenberg’s attempt to change the tradition of music changed and influenced Kandinsky so much. It were as if the two artists were the same person in different mediums; Kandinsky was without doubt in amaze. Schoenberg and Kandinsky’s love for music helped him to produce an art form that was just like Schoenberg’s style in music, and just as abstract, spiritual, and emotional as Schoenberg's music, but better. Kandinsky commented that music basically has been for a while the type of art which has solely devoted itself not to the expression of the artist’s soul, in musical sound and not the reproduction of natural happenings. Wassily was so engulfed in music, color, and his craft that he tried to paint music and you literally see it when viewing his works. It is said that Kandinsky had synesthesia, a harmless condition that allows a person to see sounds as color and hear color as the reverse. Kandinsky created a multitude of paintings with musical connotations, ideas, and terminology and categorized them by number and name, seen heavily in musical performances and writing. These art pieces that he created was like seeing music and hearing color for sure. The viewer doesn’t need synesthesia to see that Kandinsky made music play color. I literally feel like I can hear the colors being played in Kandinsky’s art. You see abstract imagery that, like atonal music plays in keys that do not necessarily go together but due to their tone and placement, they agree. Kandinsky came up with three terms to refer to his works such as: Impression, Composition, and Improvisations; how amazing is that. The Composition paintings were undoubtedly his most popular, rigorous, and committed pieces which would focus on two categories: simple and complex. The simple category of the composition series focused on melody. The complex category of the composition series focused on forms of character. The word composition made an inner vibration to Kandinsky unlike any other musical reference. He made it a goal to paint this inner vibration and bring out what he felt inside. The Impression paintings were based on the findings in external and linear forms of nature. Improvisations were based on the findings in internal nature, which would reference the nature of a person’s character. Just like music, art has rhythm. Both music and art tend to consist of patterns, placement, and direction that are meant to touch the audience’s emotions throughout the composition. One of my favorite pieces in Kandinsky’s art is entitled, “Composition VII.” The colors in this piece immediately touch me. There are feelings of unstableness, excitement, science, musical sensation and more. Kandinsky basically created a musical universe in “Composition VII.” The musical and visual referneces in this piece are very evident and clear. Composition 8 (1923) relates to music and abstraction in a more geometrical style. In this work the various geometric shapes such as the triangle, circle, or linear elements create an interaction unlike any other. Kandinsky’s abstract style evolved miraculously. The choices of linear lines, shapes, and hints of monochromatic color palette evoke a more calming feeling with a bit of excitement attached to it.
Pouring concrete does not seem to be an important job to most people, and writing an entire book about pouring concrete also seems banal. But if you look at the underlying social commentary of a nation going from the old Imperial Russia, to the new Soviet Union, it speaks to the power of people coming together to achieve a single goal. The Book Time, Forward! by Valentine Kataev shows how people from all over Russia came together to become the people of the Soviet Union. Stalin used his first five year plan to unify the people to work toward a single goal of updating Russia, and making her a world power. Kataevs book Time, Forward! shows unity through a concrete pouring competition, and the people of the Soviet Union swiftly move forward
Gardner, Helen, and Fred S. Kleiner. Gardner's Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective. N.p., 2014. Print.
Josef was born on March 19, 1888 in Bottrop, Germany. At the age of 17 he became an elementary school teacher. By 25 he studied in Berlin to expand his skills and become a certified art teacher. Through the years he continued to build his education attending several art academies; The School of Arts and Crafts, Munich Academy, and Franz von Stuck. In 1922 he enrolled to Bauhaus, a teaching institution in Weimar, Germany. Here at Bauhaus is where his achievements began and where he met his lifetime partner, Anni. In 1925 he was the first student invited to join the faculty staff and pronounced “Jungmeister” or “Young Master”. Josef taught various art classes and developed his own techniques as a figurative artist studying printmaking, stain glass, furniture as well as writi...
Examining the formal qualities of Homer Watson’s painting Horse and Rider In A Landscape was quite interesting. I chose to analyze this piece as apposed to the others because it was the piece I liked the least, therefore making me analyze it more closely and discover other aspects of the work, besides aesthetics.
The Long Way Home: An American Journey From Ellis Island to the Great War by the award winning David Laskin, magnifies the struggles and difficulties that Meyer Epstein, Antonio Pierro and many other immigrants faced as they entered America during World War I. Laskin’s extensive education in historical writing is evident throughout the very detailed book as it almost comes to life. With a bachelors in history and literature from the prestigious Harvard University, Laskin has mastered his writing skills. Laskin’s historic novel The Children’s Blizzard received “The Washington State Book” award which depicted a sudden winter storm in the upper midwest killing many settler children. The Long Way Home exposes the experiences of twelve immigrant
Even thought during 15th century, Northern Europe experienced numerous alterations in representation of pictorial space, this paper will only address two of the major changes. They include “MAN IN A RED TURBAN” which was developed by Jan van Eyck in 1433 and “DIPTYCH OF MAARTEN CAN NIEUWENHOVE” developed by Hans Memling in 1487. In these two arts, the sculptors used colored pigments, drying oils such as walnut, linseed, and poopy-seed oil. The tools included wood panel, canvas, wall, brushes, and spatulas (Pearson, 2005; Fuga, 2006).
Although he was not the first abstract artist, he is now considered one of the founders of pure abstraction in painting (Biography 1). He is know for not just his knowledge of art, but his knowledge of music, and combining them into one to give a message in an art piece. He used different techniques such as being expressive, and colorful but not figural, recognizable abstract painting, and geometrical paintings (Ducksters 9). He also influenced many art styles today such such as the uses of color and design with physiological issues. Kandinsky's art is showcased all around the world today such as Germany, America, and Paris, and his paintings can go for as much as $25
Introduction Upon my first encounter with Kandinsky's painting, my eyes and indeed my mind were overcome with a sense of puzzlement, as it seemed impossible to decipher what lay beneath his passionate use of colour and distorted forms. Kandinsky hoped by freeing colour from its representational restrictions, it, like music could conjure up a series of emotions in the soul of viewer, reinforced by corresponding forms. Throughout this essay, I will follow Kandinsky's quest for a pure, abstract art and attempt to determine whether his passionate belief in this spiritual art and his theories on its effects on the soul, can truly be felt and appreciated by the average viewer, who at first glance would most likely view Kandinsky's paintings as simply abstract. Kandinsky was indeed a visionary, an artist who through his theoretical ideas of creating a new pictorial language sought to revolutionize the art of the twentieth-century. Regarded as the founder of abstract painting, he broke free from arts traditional limitations and invented the first painting for paintings sake, whereby the dissolution of the object and subsequent promotion of colour and form became means of expression in their own right.
The painting was done near the beginning of the twentieth century when science was developing at a rapid rate. Einstein's Theory of Relativity was gaining ground at the time. Malevich's painting seemed to borrow from this theory that attempted to explain relative motion. His suprematism style attempted to capture a neo-realism in painting portraying pure feeling and perception. This new style was communicated by the discarding of natural references. Malevich grew tired of painting in the traditional style with everything looking and feeling the way they are in life. His new style tried to free viewer from their traditional a priori views concerning shape and colors imposed on them by their senses. Suprematist style focuses was on depictions of movement and dynamism. Flight and anti-gravity fascinated Malevich. Much of his paintings were a top down view of the subjects arranged on a white background. The white background represents infinite space, while the subjects were reduced to geometric blocks. The message of the paintings comes out in the relative position of the blocks to the background. The infinite background of the paintings is to divorce the paintings from the finite earth. Malevich himself said that his paintings "do not belong to the earth exclusively." The paintings sought to transcend to a different level. Malevich's suprematist style sought to take people to the fourth dimension, which was pure sensation.
Thus piece was created just after photography had gained momentum. The piece was thus created as a reaction towards the times, to show freedom from realism, as photographers has cornered the market at the time. So, Wassily chose to take a slightly abstract approach to an actual location to express this artistic freedom. As can be seen in the painting, Wassily seems to express her joy with vibrant colors taking the main spotlight of the painting, with minor details to augment the scenery. As Wassily stated himself, “Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammer, the soul is the piano with the strings”. This statement shows that Wassily holds color to a high standard, as can be seen in the piece. His broad paint strokes help augment the overall beauty of the painting
In this essay, I shall try to examine how great a role colour played in the evolution of Impressionism. Impressionism in itself can be seen as a linkage in a long chain of procedures, which led the art to the point it is today. In order to do so, colour in Impressionism needs to be placed within an art-historical context for us to see more clearly the role it has played in the evolution of modern painting. In the late eighteenth century, for example, ancient Greek and Roman examples provided the classical sources in art. At the same time, there was a revolt against the formalism of Neo-Classicism. The accepted style was characterised by appeal to reason and intellect, with a demand for a well-disciplined order and restraint in the work. The decisive Romantic movement emphasized the individual’s right in self-expression, in which imagination and emotion were given free reign and stressed colour rather than line; colour can be seen as the expression for emotion, whereas line is the expression of rationality. Their style was painterly rather than linear; colour offered a freedom that line denied. Among the Romanticists who had a strong influence on Impressionism were Joseph Mallord William Turner and Eugéne Delacroix. In Turner’s works, colour took precedence over the realistic portrayal of form; Delacroix led the way for the Impressionists to use unmixed hues. The transition between Romanticism and Impressionism was provided by a small group of artists who lived and worked at the village of Barbizon. Their naturalistic style was based entirely on their observation and painting of nature in the open air. In their natural landscape subjects, they paid careful attention to the colourful expression of light and atmosphere. For them, colour was as important as composition, and this visual approach, with its appeal to emotion, gradually displaced the more studied and forma, with its appeal to reason.
Now that we have established color as a storytelling tool, we can begin to talk about color for aesthetic reasons. The following information on color palettes comes from the article How To Use Color In Film: 50+ Examples of Movie Color Palettes by Mary Risk. Color palettes are the major colors used in a film. There are five main color palettes; monochromatic, complementary, analogous, triadic, and discordant. Also, although these color palettes are used mainly for aesthetic purposes, that does not mean that there are no psychological elements.
Abstract Expressionist artists believed that the subconscious mind could recognise and respond to the emotions portrayed in their paintings. To aid this absorption of feeling, blocks of colour and simple forms were used extensively. `Abstract expressionism's avowed purpose is to express the self to the self.' (Page 2, David and Cecil)
Nothing more was thought of the relation between art and spirituality until Kandinsky founded Der Blaue Reiter in the early 1900’s. While lacking a concrete manifesto, Der Blaue Reiter had several guiding principles which are outlined in Kandinsky’s Concerning the Spiritual which stressed the importance of form and color as they may signify something more. Kandinsky’s influences are clear in Concerning the Spiritual as he drew ideas that surrounded the symbolist movement. Kandinsky then began to name his paintings after musical works, such as Composition VIII, Improvisation 26, and so on.
According to Elizabeth Walling (January 8, 2011), colors can be used to influence emotions and the feelings around us. That’s why something so simple like the color of a room affects people in several ways including the way they feel. The color red may trigger passionate feelings of anger of exposed to the color in a long period of time. The color green may calms others as it reminds them of nature. In conclusion, Elizabeth Walling says that it impacts our lives whether if it's a negative or a positive result.