Kandinsky and Old Russia: The Artist as Ethnographer and Shaman
New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995. First. Hardcover. Dutch blue cloth/boards with orange lettering. Color-illus. dj with white lettering. 291 pp. with color and bw images throughout. NF / NF. Item #146455
ISBN: 9780300056471
"Vasilii Kandinsky, whom many consider to be the father of abstract painting, was also trained as an ethnographer with an abiding interest in the folkore of Old Russia. Weiss describes Kandinsky's university training in ethnography, his involvement with the country's most influential ethnographic [society] and the literature he read while writing reviews for the society's journal. She shows that Kandinsky's knowledge of Finno-Ugric, Lapp, and Siberian shamanism and folklore provided him with an indelible palette of iconographic references that resonated in his work," identifying specific examples of ethnographic and folkloristic in his works. Weiss argues that "Kandinsky's paintings consistently reflect....his belief in the shamanistic calling of the artist to provide a means of cultural healing and regeneration." A brilliant book with delves into the subject in both text and visuals. Really gives a whole new impression of Kandisnky's work and inspiration.
OCLC: 30701876
Price: $150.00