Winter Landscape by Wassily Kandinsky (Interpretation and Analysis)

-
Winter Landscape
Source: WikiArt

Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky is best known as the father of abstract art. While that is not quite true (many cultures practiced abstraction for thousands of years before Kandinsky began working; and, in Europe, Hilma af Klint was the first painter to explore abstract art), Kandinsky is certainly a pioneer of modern art. Today, he is famous for his bright, colorful abstract compositions full of geometric shapes.

In fact, the name Kandinsky is almost synonymous with modern art. However, Kandinsky’s began his artistic career with more figural subjects. While these early paintings are not as well known, I personally find them to be more appealing. Winter Landscape is one such painting.

Painted while Kandinsky was living in Germany, Winter Landscape depicts a field of snow dotted with a yellow house and a line of bare-limbed trees. Dark hills loom in the background. However, it is Kandinsky’s use of color that really stands out in this painting.

The snow is a veritable rainbow of pastel shades. It is reminiscent of the rainbow sparkles that can be seen on the surface of the snow in bright sunlight. The sky is equally bright and colorful; the gradient of colors represent a sunny day.

Here, Kandinsky explores different ways to portray light and color; he breaks the aspects of the landscape down into semi-abstract shapes, revealing what lies at the core of the scene. The style is loose and painterly, with wide brush strokes. While it is technically interesting, it is also a beautiful and charming piece of art, and it’s perfect for the snowy, winter days of December.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Le Chat Aux Poissons Rouges by Henri Matisse (Interpretation and Analysis)

-
Image
Le Chat Aux Poissons Rouges Source: Pinterest French artist Henri Matisse is rather famous for his paintings of goldfish. In fact, one of his most famous paintings, entitled Goldfish , depicts several of the aforementioned fish swimming in a bowl. Matisse is one of the most famous artists of the twentieth century. His work is closely associated with the Fauvist movement and is generally characterized by great energy and rich, intense colors. Based on my research , Matisse began painting goldfish after he traveled to North Africa. In Morocco, Matisse observed locals watching goldfish swim in their bowls as they sunk into a meditative state. The fish subsequently became a symbol for this sense of tranquility, coming to represent an idyllic version of the world only accessible through joyous day-dreams. These calming fish are prominent in this painting, which is entitled Le Chat Aux Poissons Rouges (which translates to The Cat With Red Fishes ). However, the serene energy of the fish
Read more

Five Puerto Rican Artists You Should Know

-
Image
The island of Puerto Rico has a long and vibrant artistic tradition. Western, Indigenous, and African cultures have all left their mark on Puerto Rican art, creating a colorful and unique visual legacy. While Puerto Rican artists have demonstrated their excellence throughout the years— from the creators of the captivating Taino petroglyphs to the sophisticated and subtle works of the Modernist painters—Puerto Rican art has received little attention from art historians and the wider art world. Here are five underappreciated Puerto Rican artists that you should know: 1. José Campeche José Campeche is often known as the first Puerto Rican painter in the Western history of fine arts. He was primarily known for his religious paintings and his portraits of elite Puerto Ricans, and today his work is recognized as some of the finest examples of Rococo art produced in the Americas. Campeche’s personal story is also inspiring. The son of a slave who had purchased his own freedom, Campech
Read more

Mural La Plena by Rafael Tufiño (Interpretation and Analysis)

-
Image
Mural la Plena Source: Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico Today I want to chat about a monumental piece of art that I recently had the pleasure of seeing at the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico. As the name suggests, Mural La Plena is a massive mural, fifteen by thirty feet in size, that was created by Puerto Rican artist Rafael Tufiño to commemorate la plena, a wildly popular genre of music that was born in the city of Ponce around 1900. The mural, which might appear abstract or incomprehensible to a viewer unfamiliar with the subject matter, illustrates the lyrics of popular plena songs. For example, the blue-green figure that dominates the upper half of the mural represents the hurricane from the plena “Temporal,” which mourns the destruction caused by a storm. Plena, as a genre, tells stories. According to my research , the lyrics come from current events, re-telling the stories that affected the lives of the people of Ponce. It began as a way for people of low socio-economic sta
Read more