| Kandinsky, born in 1866 died in 1944, was one of the first creators of pure abstraction in modern painting. After successful avant-garde exhibitions in Moscow he moved to Munich where he studied under Franz von Stuck. He founded the influential Munich group Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider; 1911-14) and began completely abstract painting. His forms evolved from fluid and organic to geometric. He ranked among the artists whose work changed the history of art in the early years of the 20th century. Franz Marc and Kandinsky organized avant-garde international exhibitions in Munich and elsewhere--exhibitions that proved to be major events in the development of German expressionism. With the outbreak of World War I, Kandinsky left Germany to return to Russia, where he taught and organized numerous artistic activities. He went back to Germany in 1921 and became one of the principal teachers at the Bauhaus school in Weimar, remaining with the school until it was closed by the Nazi regime in 1933. Kandinsky then moved to a Parisian suburb, where he stayed until his death on Dec. 13, 1944. |
