Abstract painting explained – Part 11

In 1905, Russian born painter Wassily Kandinsky visited Munich. It was a trip that would change his life and the art world forever. There he experienced Islamic art, which does not allow human representation in any form, you will never see a person in any Islamic painting, sculpture, mosaic or drawing. This was a turning point in Kandinsky’s career and it is said, the beginning of the form of art we know today as abstract.’

This is a very simplified introduction, but the non-representational’ art in the Muslims’ beautifully detailed and colorful works give a better picture’ about how it influenced his thinking. This art is called ‘decorative’ as it is intended to create beauty for God and not tell a story or reflect the artist in any way. Most Islamic art is not signed, all of the glory goes to God. Kandinsky realized that art did not necessarily have to represent anything in order to be beautiful or compelling, it just had to mean something to him. Hed found a new way to express his vision and feelings about the world in his own unique style. Most artists work toward this goal. Abstract art is often thought of as ‘art for art’s sake’ as it’s purpose is creativity and often understood only by the artist. Kandinsky overlays colors, line, and shapes in a seemingly willy-nilly fashion, but each mark on his canvas has a place and a purpose.

Of course abstracts have been explained or speculated about when given a particular artist’s life experiences and style. Picasso was profoundly affected by the Spanish Civil war, and the Nazi’s horrific destruction in his country and the obliteration of the town of Guernica by Hitler’s bombing raids.

World War II was the catalyst for, perhaps, his most famous painting. He was perfectly capable of creating beautiful, very realistic paintings that everyone could relate to and understand. But he wanted to take his art farther, into another dimension (for lack of a better word). When you look at his abstracts, and know this background, you may be better able to understand what on the surface looks like a child’s scribbles. Every line and mark has a meaning and purpose as well, even though most of us cannot relate them to anything in our ‘world’, at least right away.

His mural ‘Guernica’, a result of the horrific destruction of the town by Nazi bombing raids, also was fueled by the repercussions of the Spanish Civil war just a few years earlier. In this mural you will still recognize the images of