My name is Wassily Kandinsky and I was born in Moscow in 1866.

I died in France in 1944. You all know that I experienced two world wars as a Russian in Germany, Russia and France. People say that I painted the first abstract art painting when I was in Munich in 1910.

This is my painting "The Fugue" from 1914. I have always been very interested in the converging of the arts, especially music and painting.

Everything starts with a dot. A line is just a moving dot.

How comes that by abstracting something from reality it becomes more real than ever?

When it was time to go off to college he chose the respectable profession of law. From 1886 to 1892, he studied law and economics at the University of Moscow, where he worked as a lecturer for the next four years.

Until he saw Monet's series of haystacks in an exhibition in Moscow, which profoundly touched him. How could it be that without defined lines or borders nor exact delimitations of the objects depicted, Monet had captured the real essence of their existence? Rewarding us with the impression of it just by using light, reflections and colors, brushstrokes of different density and number of layers of colors he created the real experience of the object.

Kandinsky had enjoyed music and painting as a child. However, it was a performance of Richard Wagner's opera, Lohengrin, that would put him on an entirely different career path from law. He is said to have seen lines and colors while listening to the music.

Some theorize that Kandinsky experienced synesthesia, meaning he was able to experience two senses at once, like colors producing music or seeing colors when he heard music. These experiences were reflected in his paintings, and he often titled his works after music terms.

Composition VII

For Kandinsky, art was a spiritual and emotional experience. He wanted his paintings to transcend recognized forms and express feelings through colors and shapes.

Kandinsky argued that artistic experiences were all about feeling, and different colors affected mood.

Yellow could disturb, while blue might make people feel good. He was convinced that different colors can convey certain emotions. The warm colors - red, yellow, and orange - are usually considered lively colors that can sometimes be harsh. The cool colors - green, blue, and purple - are considered more peaceful and subdued. Kandinsky was especially fond of blue.

Der Blaue Reiter was an art movement lasting from 1911 to 1914, fundamental to Expressionism. It was founded by a group of artists who rejected the Neue Kuenstlervereinigung (1909 Kandinsky) in Munich, Germany. Russian immigrants including Wassily Kandinsky, Alexej von Jawlensky, Marianne von Werefkin and native German artists such as Franz Marc, August Macke and Gabriele Muenter.