Concerning the Spiritual in Art Paperback by Wassily Kandinsky; Translated by Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp; Introduction and Notes by Lisa Florman

Product Details

• Publisher: Penguin Classics (2025-05-13)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 192 pages
• ISBN-13: 9780241384800
• Item Weight: 147.42 grams
• Dimensions: 7.76 x 5.05 x 0.41 cm

A treatise on the spiritual in contemporary painting to adopt new, metaphysical ways of conceiving of and creating art, by one of the most impactful and recognized artists of the twentieth century, in a new translation for the first time since publication

A Penguin Classic

In Concerning the Spiritual in Art, Wassily Kandinsky, one of the most famous abstract painters of all time, urges the reader to free themselves from art's traditional bonds to material reality. In this radical theoretical work, he calls for a spiritual revolution in painting, arguing that artists, much like musicians, should be allowed to express their own inner lives in abstract, non-material terms. Investigating form and colour, spirituality and tradition, Kandinsky explores art's resonance with the soul, its purpose and nature, and its power to inspire us, to stir our emotions and to help us see beyond the limits of our world. A significant contribution to the understanding of non-objectivism in art, this book serves as an important landmark in modern art history and is necessary reading for every artist and art-lover.

About the Author

Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) was a Russian-born painter and art theorist. Regarded as a key pioneer of abstract art, he was a founding member of the artistic group Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider). He taught at the Bauhaus School of Art and Architecture in Germany until the mid-1930s, after which he settled in France.