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The Art Theory of Wassily Kandinsky 1909-1928: The Quest for Synthesis

Wassily Kandinsky’s theory of art has usually been treated as little more than a guide to help our understanding of his paintings. The Art Theory of Wassily Kandinsky, 1909 – 1928: The Quest for Synthesis, in contrast, attends primarily to the artist’s writings on art and thus, his art theory is treated on its own terms. The book draws on the diverse literature that has been written on Kandinsky’s art and theory to demonstrate that, while many different perspectives on his work have been identified, none holds the ‘key’ to that work. Rather, Short’s research shows Kandinsky’s method in his writings (and in a postscript, his paintings) to be highly eclectic, manifest in an exciting and challenging variety of content. Beyond this, it shows that, transcending this diversity, Kandinsky consistently sought evidence of the unity of all things, something that would be realised through his understanding of the term ‘synthesis’. The book follows Kandinsky’s many attempts to establish such synthesis not only in art, but in various other disciplines including science, mathematics, philosophy, law and politics, in his key theoretical publications: On the Spiritual in Art of 1911, and Point and Line to Plane of 1926. In so doing, it offers a completely new and innovative understanding of Kandinsky’s art theory, and of his art. The research laid the ground for the 2-day international conference in November 2011 at Tate Modern co-organised by Short, and the related publication (currently being edited), for which he has also written a new essay. The book was directly supported by a Fellowship of the Societé Kandinsky, and by a British Academy Research Grant.