Books › Concerning the spiritual in art
Concerning the spiritual in art
First published 1947 · 192 pages
A visionary manifesto that transforms the act of painting into a profound spiritual awakening.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into the mind of a mystic who happens to communicate through color and form. The pace is steady and contemplative, demanding that you slow down and absorb its philosophical weight. It carries an earnest, visionary tone, wrapping the reader in an ethereal, intellectually charged atmosphere where art is not merely decorative but a vital necessity for the human soul. The prose is lyrical and deeply metaphorical, treating colors as living entities with their own psychological resonance. It traces an arc from a critique of a spiritually bankrupt society to a soaring, hopeful vision of creative liberation. This is a text for artists, dreamers, and seekers who believe that true expression transcends the material world, offering a profound meditation on the inner life of the creator.
- Mood
- contemplative
- transcendent
- intellectual
- ethereal
- Tone
- visionary
- earnest
- philosophical
- passionate
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- the inner life of the artist · color psychology · breaking from materialism · the search for transcendence · abstract expression
- The writing
- Lyrical, metaphorical, and deeply philosophical, often reading more like a manifesto or poetry than dry art history.
- The arc
- Moves from a critique of materialistic stagnation to an inspiring, visionary call for creative and spiritual liberation.
- Who it's for
- Artists, art historians, and spiritual seekers who view creativity as a profound, almost religious calling.
About the book
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 ground-breaking paintings, this book had a tremendous impact on the development of modern art. The first part 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, Kandinsky discusses the psychology of colors, the language of form and color, and the responsibilities of the artist. An Introduction by the translator offers additional explanation of Kandinsky's art and theories.--From publisher description.
Description from Open Library.
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