Concerning The Spiritual In Art is a seminal work by Wassily Kandinsky, a Russian artist and art theorist. First published in 1911, the book explores the relationship between art and spirituality, arguing that art has the power to tap into the spiritual realm and convey abstract ideas and emotions. Kandinsky believed that art should move beyond the representation of the physical world and instead aim to express the inner life of the artist and the viewer. He also discusses the role of color and form in art, arguing that ...
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Concerning The Spiritual In Art is a seminal work by Wassily Kandinsky, a Russian artist and art theorist. First published in 1911, the book explores the relationship between art and spirituality, arguing that art has the power to tap into the spiritual realm and convey abstract ideas and emotions. Kandinsky believed that art should move beyond the representation of the physical world and instead aim to express the inner life of the artist and the viewer. He also discusses the role of color and form in art, arguing that they have a spiritual significance and can convey meaning beyond their physical properties. The book is divided into two parts, with the first outlining Kandinsky's theories and the second providing examples of his own artwork. Concerning The Spiritual In Art is considered a landmark text in the development of abstract art and has had a significant influence on modern art and art theory.But despite their patent and well-ordered security, despite their infallible principles, there lurks in these higher segments a hidden fear, a nervous trembling, a sense of insecurity. And this is due to their upbringing. They know that the sages, statesmen and artists whom today they revere, were yesterday spurned as swindlers and charlatans.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
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To me Kandinsky's book is probably of most use and interest to an art historian (which I am). The title might fool you if you're looking for, well, sort of the more familiar poetic ideas about art being moving and transcendent and something close to religion.
Not to say those aren't valid takes on art--they obviously are--but the book probably won't satisfy you in that way.. It was directed mainly at other artists and at critics and theorists of art (at the time). It can definitely be a little tedious, like an old textbook or manual. Not exactly bestseller material.
The book is very much a product of its time, an extremely idealistic European artworld before and during World War I. Much early modern art was almost intoxicated (kind of touchingly at times) with its own imagined possibilities for evolving the human species.. Kandinsky was a perfect example.
