Art is the Solution

Couple on Horseback Source:  wassilykandinsky.net 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, when he created Couple on Horseback , Kandinsky was only beginning his exploration of abstraction. The painting depicts a young couple riding on horseback amongst the trees. A wide river and a traditional, Russian cityscape dominates the background. The piece is picked out in multi-colored dabs of paint; alone, these drops of paint are abstract and meaningless, yet, together they make a coherent picture. It is reminiscent of the pointillist style ...

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 s...