SOURCE: "Kandinsky's Vision," in The Life of Vasilii Kandinsky in Russian Art: A Study of 'On the Spiritual in Art', edited by John E. Bowlt and Rose-Carol Washton Long, and translated by John Bowlt, Oriental Research Partners, 1980, pp. 43-61.

In the following essay, Long analyzes the purpose and meaning of Kandinsky's On the Spiritual in Art, maintaining that the artist "attempted to resolve the dilemma of how to effectively communicate a vision of man's spirituality while avoiding both materialistic representation on the one hand and decorative ornament on the other. "

The publication of Kandinsky's On the Spiritual in Art in 1912¹ can be considered one of the catalytic forces which helped trigger an increasing number of experiments with abstraction before World War I. Although the idea of painting in an abstract style was not new, after On the Spiritual in Art reached the public, a number of artists such...