Who Is the Father of Modern Abstract Art?
Modern abstract art is a style of art that does not represent or depict any recognizable objects. It is a form of painting or sculpture that uses shapes, colours, textures and lines to create a composition with no reference to the physical world. Many consider Wassily Kandinsky to be the ‘Father of Modern Abstract Art’.
Kandinsky was born in Russia in 1866 and was trained as a lawyer at Moscow University. His interest in art began when he attended an exhibition of French Impressionists in 1895. He was so moved by Claude Monet’s works that he decided to become an artist himself and quickly developed his own style of abstract painting.
He believed that colours had emotional significance and could evoke powerful feelings in viewers. In his book ‘Concerning the Spiritual in Art’ he wrote: “Colour is a power which directly influences the soul… Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammers, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand which plays, touching one key or another purposively, to cause vibrations in the soul”.
Kandinsky also used geometry to create abstract compositions as he believed it could convey emotion as well as form. He used circles, squares and triangles to create abstract forms and experimented with different combinations of colour and geometric shapes. He also experimented with different mediums such as watercolour, oil paints and gouache.
Kandinsky’s style of abstraction has been hugely influential on many contemporary artists who continue to experiment with colour, texture and geometric shapes to create works of art that evoke emotions without representing anything from reality. His influence can be seen in works by artists such as Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock who are considered some of the most important 20th century painters.
Wassily Kandinsky’s contribution to modern abstract art cannot be overlooked and his legacy continues today through his influence on contemporary artists around the world who continue to explore new ways of expressing emotion through colour, texture and form without representation from reality. He truly deserves his title as ‘The Father of Modern Abstract Art’ for inspiring generations of artists after him.
Conclusion: Wassily Kandinsky was a revolutionary artist who created an entirely new style of painting that was based on emotional expression rather than physical representation from reality. His work inspired generations after him and has been hugely influential on contemporary artists all around the world making him truly deserving of his title as ‘The Father Of Modern Abstract Art’.