Books by Wassily Kandinsky
Concerning the Spiritual in Art
A treatise on the spiritual in contemporary painting to adopt new, metaphysical ways of conceiving of and creating art, by one of the most impactful and recognized artists of the twentieth century, in a new translation for the first time since publication
A Penguin Classic
In Concerning the Spiritual in Art, Wassily Kandinsky, one of the most famous abstract painters of all time, urges the reader to free themselves from art's traditional bonds to material reality. In this radical theoretical work, he calls for a spiritual revolution in painting, arguing that artists, much like musicians, should be allowed to express their own inner lives in abstract, non-material terms. Investigating form and colour, spirituality and tradition, Kandinsky explores art's resonance with the soul, its purpose and nature, and its power to inspire us, to stir our emotions and to help us see beyond the limits of our world. A significant contribution to the understanding of non-objectivism in art, this book serves asan important landmark in modern art history and is necessary reading for every artist and art-lover.
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Concerning the Spiritual in Art
A pioneering work in the movement to free art from its traditional bonds to material reality, this book is one of the most important documents in the history of modern art. Written by the famous nonobjective painter Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944), it explains Kandinsky's own theory of painting and crystallizes the ideas that were influencing many other modern artists of the period. Along with his own groundbreaking paintings, this book had a tremendous impact on the development of modern art.
Kandinsky's ideas are presented in two parts. The first part, called "About General Aesthetic," issues a call for a spiritual revolution in painting that will let artists express their own inner lives in abstract, non-material terms. Just as musicians do not depend upon the material world for their music, so artists should not have to depend upon the material world for their art. In the second part, "About Painting," Kandinsky discusses the psychology of colors, the language of form and color, and the responsibilities of the artist. An Introduction by the translator, Michael T. H. Sadler, offers additional explanation of Kandinsky's art and theories, while a new Preface by Richard Stratton discusses Kandinsky's career as a whole and the impact of the book. Making the book even more valuable are nine woodcuts by Kandinsky himself that appear at the chapter headings.
This English translation of Über das Geistige in der Kunst was a significant contribution to the understanding of nonobjectivism in art. It continues to be a stimulating and necessary reading experience for every artist, art student, and art patron concerned with the direction of 20th-century painting.
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Kandinsky: The Path to Abstraction
Wassily Kandinsky (18661944) pioneered abstract art and is a key figure in the history of modernism. This groundbreaking, fully illustrated study of Kandinskys formative years follows his move from figurative painting to abstraction.
Inspired in his early years by folklore scenes from Russia and the heightened colors of the landscape of southern Germany, he want on to co-found the Expressionist Blaue Reiter (Blue Rider) group of painters with Gabriele Münter, Alexej Jawlensky, and Franz Marc. Gradually he stripped away the descriptive detail in his painting, hiding visual imagery behind fields of bright color encompassed by strong lines. He felt that what he had discovered was a path to a new spiritual reality, more akin to music than the physical world.
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Sounds
Now in an updated English edition with full color illustrations, Kandinsky's fascinating and witty artist's book represents a crucial moment in the painter's move toward abstraction.
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Wall Calendar 2026, Kandinsky Art, 12 Months, Large Grid Design Featuring 12 Artworks
by Wassily Kandinsky, Pomegranate
• An Artful 2026: Large wall calendar opens to 12 x 24 inches and features a new work by Kandinsky each month. • Monthly Planning: Calendar pages include large grids with lots of room to write, and feature legal US holidays & moon cycles. Perfect for daily planning! • Sustainable Materials: This 2026 calendar is free of plastic and comes in a flap-and-seal packaging to ensure durability. • Beauty Every Day: Each monthly art piece is printed in full vivid color, so you can admire the art from your home or office every day. • Wide Range: Known for beautiful art & lasting materials, 2025 and 2026 calendars feature diverse artwork–cat calendars, landscapes, mini calendars & more.
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Wassily Kandinsky The Sketchbooks
A revelatory collection of the artist’s sketches and preparatory drawings, featuring many that have never been published before
The great Russian modernist painter and theorist Wassily Kandinsky was one of the pioneers of abstraction in Western art. Few documents provide more insight into his evolution from figural to abstract art—or into the development of abstraction in the early twentieth century—than the pages of his sketchbooks. Featuring previously unpublished drawings, Wassily Kandinsky: The Sketchbooks is a comprehensive selection of hundreds of sketches from twelve notebooks Kandinsky kept between 1889 and 1935. Beginning with early figure studies, architectural sketches, and landscapes, the notebooks reveal a process of exploration that would lead Kandinsky from his first experiments in geometric abstraction to paintings that reshaped modernism.
Demonstrating Kandinsky’s mastery of color, line, shape, composition, and movement, the book includes notes and preparatory studies for major paintings, such as the “analytical drawing” for Composition VII (1913), the first study for Several Circles (1926), and Study for Composition IX, a preliminary working of his 1936 masterpiece. Visually stunning, the book offers a remarkable, intimate look at how Kandinsky sought to discover nothing less than a spiritually transcendent form of art.
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