Matthew Collings TV - Michael Henry - Wasssily Kandinsky - Simon Schama TV -
Kandinsky is the Lord of Abstraction. Matthew Collings, The Rules of Abstraction, BBC 2014
The ‘Pioneer’ [Kandinsky] did not just produce a body of work whose sensuous magnificence and rich inventiveness eclipse even the most remarkable of his contemporaries. He also provided an explicit theory of abstract painting, exposing its principles with the utmost precision and clarity. So, the painted work is accompanied with a group of texts that at the same time clarify his work and make Kandinsky one of the main theorists of art. Facing the hieroglyphs of the last canvases of the Parisian period (which are said to be the most difficult), they provide the Rosetta stone on which the meaning of these mysterious figures is inscribed. Michael Henry, Seeing the Invisible
Kandinsky was fascinated by the expressive power of linear forms. Lyricism is the pathos of a force whose triumphant effort enters into action and encounters no obstacle. Because the straight line results from the initiative of a single, unopposed force, its domain is that of the lyric. When two forces are present and thus enter in conflict, as this is the case with the curve or the zigzag line, we are in domain of drama. ibid.
The sun melts all of Moscow down to a single spot that, like a mad tuba, starts all of the heart and all of the soul vibrating. But no, this uniformity of red is not the most beautiful hour. It is only the final chord of a symphony that takes every colour to the zenith of life that, like the fortissimo of a great orchestra, is both compelled and allowed by Moscow to ring out. Wassily Kandinsky
The artist must train not only his eye but also his soul. Wassily Kandinksy
Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul. Wassily Kandinsky
Colour is a power which directly influences the soul. Wassily Kandinsky
The nightmare of materialism, which has turned the life of the universe into an evil, useless game, is not yet past; it holds the awakening soul still in its grip. Wassily Kandinsky
The more abstract is form, the more clear and direct its appeal. Wassily Kandinsky
Of all the arts, abstract painting is the most difficult. It demands that you know how to draw well, that you have a heightened sensitivity for composition and for colour, and that you be a true poet. This last is essential. Wassily Kandinsky
The more frightening the world becomes ... the more art becomes abstract. Wassily Kandinsky
There is only one road to follow, that of analysis of the basic elements in order to arrive ultimately at an adequate graphic expression. Wassily Kandinsky
Wassily Kandinsky – who was also ripping up the rulebook with his abstract art. Simon Schama, The Story of the Jews III: A Leap of Faith, BBC 2013