fenomeno Kandinsky

(please excuse the long pause in writing, but a few ephiphanies and prodings from dear friends made me realize that its high time to get those creative juices flowing... again).



"There is no must in art because art is free."


-- Wassily Kandinsky

Powerful. Poignant. An outpouring of the spirit. There are so many phrases and so many adjectives to describe the artistic oeuvre of Wassily Kandinsky, from his first Compositions and Improvisations to his more geometrically rendered shapes of his final years in Paris. His colors literally dance on and off the canvas, always communicating some sort of message to the masses. If you aren't careful, these colors can absorb you and tingle your insides, until you feel an explosion of energy coming from within. This, however, can only be the beginning of something incredible that does more than satisfy one's artistic taste buds. Perhaps I am a bit bias, because I consider Kandinsky to be one of my "art heros"... but in my opinion, any kind of art that grabs you and has the ability to move you in unimaginable ways can be denoted as "great art". Capito?

Exactly 60 years ago, in January of 1947, Milan's Palazzo Reale held an exhibition of great European modern artists, the first major show since the end of the second World War. Kandinsky was one of the artists represented; the other artists represented were mostly Italian: Bassi, Bonini, Licini, Mazzon, Munari, Rho, Ettore Sottsass and Veronesi. Up until 24 June 2007, curator Luciano Caramel has made it possible for art critics and fans alike to stand in the presence of Kandinsky's work, as well as the work of other Italian modern artists whom he influenced from 1930-1950. This show is entitled Kandinsky e l'astrattismo in Italia. Here, for the first time in Italy, viewers can see over 42 works by the Russian Expressionist master, including watercolors, oil on canvas and pastel.

The show was arranged [as expected] in a chronological order, starting with Kandinsky's early work (ie. Improvisations) and moving to the Bauhaus years, his collaboration with Paul Klee and his final years of painting in Paris. Text panels were available to the visitors in both English and Italian, giving a detailed and historical/cultural information about each period in Kandinsky's art career. The walls were painted in a slate grey-ish color, with bright flourescent lights shining down on the main *highlights* of the show -- which allowed viewers to really see every single detail painted. Quotes from Kandinsky's Concerning the Spiritual in Art filled the walls, giving visitors permission to stop and muse about his art on a deeper level. Besides historical facts, color was also another theme that was highly emphasized. Several rooms held the works in specific color schemes, such as "black-grey", "red-orange-yellow" and "blue-violet". These quotes were rendered on color circle panels, presenting a more theoretical approach to the usual chronology of events and famous works. I felt that this methodology could have been taken further, maybe dedicating the whole exhibition to what Kandinsky had to say about color theory. The traffic flow throughout the exhibition was all right, and I didn't get the audio guide because I don't like people telling me how to think and look at a piece of artwork.

The most brilliant set-up, however, can be found in the first gallery. There, Kandinsky's famous Composition VII (see picture above) is hung in a niche in the wall, as if it was floating, with a soft irredescent blue light along the borders and shining through the background. I wish I had my camera, so that I could have taken an illegal picture of it. In this case, the museum was indeed a muse -- sucking me into a state of deep reverence right in front of this very painting! To be honest, this was my favorite part of the show, and bearing previous knowledge of the heavy spiritual aspects behind Kandinsky's early work stabbed me in the chest and nearly drove me to the point of tears. Art can be powerful like that sometimes.

The rest of the show was not rendered quite as well. Although it was interesting to see the influence Kandinsky had on these "contemporaries", it was also a huge bombardment of images and wall text, which I must criticize, throw my hands up in frustration and ask what the need is to know every single detail about the artists' life/career and paste both Italian and English text panels side-by-side... overcrowding the already lack of wall space... and blocking the flow of traffic. To be honest, I zipped through this portion of the show and found it to be rather cold compared to the warm, embracing liveliness of dancing colors and shapes on Kandinsky's canvases.

Other notable highlights of the Kandinsky portion?

*Kochel, 1902
*Zigzag Blanc, 1922
*Movimento I, 1935

Considered by many to be the Father of Modern Expressionism, Kandinsky carries out his expression of the SOUL throughout his artistic career and even into the modern day. The revolution he started brought about lots of criticism from his peers and those in authority, but in the end paved the way for greater things to come. This is why even 60 years after Kandinsky graced Europe with his presence at the January 1947 exhibition, people are still talking about the legacy he left and those who have come to love his art the way it ought to be loved feel the need to carry this principle deeper into the 21st Century.

Viewing this show instilled a huge breath of fresh air to my nearly stagnant artistic exsistence, and forced me to think on a deeper level about how to successfully intertwine the beauty of art theory and exhibition installation once again. Heck, I even bought the catalogue.

not only for the YOUNG at HEART

I love forward-thinking exhibitions that stand out among the ordinary and mundane of the international museum world. Sure, everyone is excited to see yet another Impressionists' Masterpiece show with Monet's Waterlilies and/or a Picasso Retrospective, but there is so much more in the art world besides those Blockbusters. More often than not, it is the contemporary art museums and galleries that take this risk to plunge forward and truly create art that one can experience with more than one of their five senses.

So far, the best example of this risk can be found from now until 15 April 2007 at the Tate Modern (London). German artist Carsten Höller has installed 6 metal slides of various sizes and speeds in the main galleries of the Tate Modern. This form of experimental art is available for people of all ages and backgrounds, and is described by the French writer Roger Caillois as a ''voluptuous panic upon an otherwise lucid mind''. This is artwork one can experience, and it is the experience that truly matters. This might cause one to ask, "What interests Höller to create such an experience, both public visually and the inner spectacle experienced by those on the side?" Anxiety and desire are common feelings, but what else?

The question to ask here is simply this (in the opinion of Holler): Would a daily dose of sliding really stimulate our attitude and/or outlook on life? Could sliding be some sort of therapy to bring confidence to those who are fearful of taking risks? Can a daily dose of sliding do a lot of good for our ordinary/mundane lives?

I would like to encourage discussion on this matter. Public art one can experience has been around since at least the 1970s... but could they, like fountains and public squares in Italy, be a method of bringing people together and adding a little piazzaz to their everyday lives?

:)

[m]adam: be careful what you pen in that journal of yours!

First and foremost, my apologies for the long delay in-between posts. I have recently relocated to London and look forward to sharing insights about the art world on this side of the pond in future months.

I must, however, elude to this brilliant film, which I had the grand opportunity to view this past weekend. It is, after all, ART that does more than sit on its ass in conventional space. Notes on a Scandal (2006) tells the story of loneliness, envy, lust, (dis)loyalty and love. It also recounts the choices people make in their lives, and the inevitable consequences that follow no matter how hard they try to resist them. When people lose control of their emotions, chaos and havoc are wrecked. The film was chilly for the majority of the scenes, but both Judi Dench (Barbara Covett) and Cate Blanchett (Sheba Hart) did an excellent job in this film. I won't spoil the story for those who have yet to view this film, but wanted to bring attention that the main focus of this film should be Dench's [romantic] obsession with Blanchett's character, rather than Blanchett's affair with her 15 year old male student. It was strange to see that there was no forgiveness whatsoever in the storyline, and that the drama kept on perpetuating. Ahh, the decisions people make in their lives... it could end up killing you!

My favourite quote was when Blanchett's character explained the meaning behind the phrase, "Mind the Gap". We hear it everyday while commuting on the London Underground. The "gap" signifies the dreams you wish to be reality, and the reality you are doomed to live in until you reach the other end of the gap. Insightful, isn't it? That is a phrase who's meaning will remain etched in my heart forever.

Go see this film if you haven't done so already!