About Wassily Kandinsky
Kandinsky was born in 1866 to a wealthy family in Moscow. In his childhood, he played piano, cello, and began to draw, sowing the seeds for his creative future in art and music. He eventually went to school and became a lawyer, studying at Moscow University. He went on to have a career as a law professor, but changed this career to become a painter and artist.
He went on to study under various masters at various schools in Europe, including Anton Azbe, Franz Stuck, and joined multiple artist groups to promote his work. He collaborated with several artist groups including The Phalanx, Munich New Artist's Association, The Blue Rider, and the Bauhaus. With a solid background in design and painting, Kandinsky's work evolved over time to become more and more abstract.
Kandinsky also wrote a few literary works on the topic of art, including Concerning the Spiritual in Art, Retrospect, and Point and Line to Plane.
Kandinsky and Music
This artist had a unique background with music. Growing up understanding both art and music provides a unique perspective to creation and how the two things relate. Music is composed in movements, with an introduction, an A section, a deviating B section, some sort of modulation, and then a repeat or conclusion. These different sections can be translated visually into artwork, and Kandinsky was a great example of this inspiration.
"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
It was believed that Kandinsky had synesthesia, a rare condition which causes senses to cross over and become associated with one another. Someone who has this condition may 'hear' colors, 'taste' sounds, or any combination. For Kandinsky, this reportedly manifested in associating sounds with colors, which introduced a entirely new richness to his artistic journey.
"The violins, the deep tones of the basses, and especially the wind instruments at that time embodied for me all the power of that pre-nocturnal hour. I saw all my colors in my mind; they stood before my eyes. Wild, almost crazy lines were sketched in front of me."
-Wassily Kandinsky
Sources
Wassily Kandinsky.net
Wassily Kandinsky: the painter of sound and vision
Wassily Kandinsky: Synesthesia & Abstraction