Wassily Kandinsky – Aglow
I have decided to discuss a work by Wassily Kandinsky entitled Aglow, 1928 watercolor, Indian ink and pencil on paper (The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum). The influence of music in Kandinsky’s paintings cannot be overemphasized right down to the names of his paintings Improvisations, Impressions, and Compositions. The expression “Composition” can imply a metaphor with music. Kandinsky was mesmerized by music’s emotional power. Because music expresses itself through sound and time, it is a medium that allows the listener a freedom of emotional response that is not based on the literal or the descriptive. Kandinsky used this abstract quality in his paintings, which in a sense were still reliant on representing the visible world through his own process of experience.
It can be said that Kandinsky’s work went in a path of greater abstraction than that which was pioneered by the Impressionists. I have gained a greater insight into Kandinsky’s philosophy of art by reading his book ‘spirituality in art’. Kandinsky at one point states “I applied streaks and blobs of colors onto the canvas with a palette knife and I made them sing with all the intensity I could…”shows how his evolution as an artist eventually lead him to produce works akin to Aglow.
Kandinsky makes reference to something called “interior necessity” which he believes is the one thing that truly can inspire art, it is what probably helped the most to push him away from representational imagery. The only meaning that can be found lies in what the experience of the pictures provides.
The structure of lines in Aglow is one of its most important assets to being a dynamic piece. As the viewers eye moves from left to right the center of interest is drawn instantly through an upward and right direction. The heavy use of circular and semi-circular lines on the left side of the object give strong force to this upward feeling. This geometric structure brings to life the awkward forms created through minimalist lightweight lines, but also the possibility of the piece.
One part of the painting that caught my eye is on the middle of the left side there is a definable anarchy symbol, since this is a post war piece I believe that this might be a feeling of angst represented in the ambiguity of the lines that surround it. Directly on the opposite side of the cliff form are symbolic lines that for clouds, this could be create the idea of a heaven, or a higher power equivalent to war and anarchy. The geometric forms of buildings at the top of what I see as a cliff seem to be brightly painted, perhaps giving the idea that this town is separated but attached to the land, on its own plane but still part of the scenery. The thrusting vertical movement of the three semi circle lines on the left of the cliff give a perspective plane to the cliff making the lines seem to be foreshortened above the horizon of the picture which exists about 3/4 of the way down the paining.
There is a sense of cubism in this painting, which at first surpassed my sight until I really looked at the picture for about an hour in real life at the Guggenheim. If you notice on the left side of the painting there is a thrusting vertical shape which has three separate tones, this part of the picture seems to be removed, almost not a part of the whole until you think that if this painting is really trying to convey a sense of music, that you would hear the same instrument (or see the same shapes) presented in a new way, which was still harmonious to the whole. I believe that this is looking down the side of the cliff, a small section of the right side, which is blown up for the viewer to see. The horizontal slashing lines are repeated in the larger version, and the angle of each is almost identical.
Synesthesia is “the involuntary physical experience of a cross-modal association. That is, the stimulation of one sensory modality reliably causes a perception in one or more different senses”(dictionary.com). This idea in artwork was almost completely coined by Kandinsky. The muted sense of color in Aglow gives an afternoon feeling of a joyous group of people. With warm reds oranges and yellows as the pieces primary colors the pallet is instantly pleasurable on the eye. I chose this piece over other works by kandinsky because I didn’t feel the painting scream at me. Most of his other works have so many planes and colors that one can get confused and stop before they even have time to dissect what the painting might mean to them.
The texture of the paint is unique as it looks almost splattered on with the bristles of the brush creating a doted gradation that makes the center piece of the painting, the cliff, pop off the paper on its left, while regaining a sence of ordered composition on its right. The prevalence of cloud like lines, along with the multitude of fine lines on the center of the painting help to give the feeling that these objects are in some way grounded to their environment. The color of each part of the picture plane helps to create individual zones. Through these individual zone ones mind can decipher a sense that these abstract shapes could be creating some form of geometry , such as my idea of them creating a cliff and town above.
A piece of geometry and color that struck my eye almost instantly was the horseshoe element that is at once connected to the town as well as seems to go inside of the cliff. The color change, along with its shape defines an almost urban element. The fact that a pipeline of sorts exists shows that the shapes above and surrounding this shape could be buildings.
When standing in front of this picture for the first time I could not help but let my eye go everywhere in the picture at once, as my brain slowed down this rapid excitement of the eye I could finally begin to understand what Kandinsky was trying to do with color and sound. This picture reminds me of ethereal music that would be lightly drifting on a summer afternoon. And only because of the striking line work does ones eye initially reject the picture in search of some form of definition.
I believe that this painting represents the theory of Synesthesia excellently. Each part of the painting is composed to move ones eye steadily after the initial shock of the piece. The muted colors make one really focus on the detail of line work. Other works by Kandinsky perhaps would represent this theory my obviously but the focus of this painting is to force the viewer to seek it out. The society and area where this work was created must have been a positive one, because unlike other Kandinsky works this one seems to have a lively and happy feeling.