Klee And Kandinsky

PaulKleeandWassilyKandinsky,twoofthemostinfluentialfiguresinthemodernistmovement,arethesubjectofthisilluminatingbookthatopensadialoguebetweentheirwork,friendship,andinfluenceoneachother.KleeandKandinskyweretoweringfiguresofthemodernistmovementandwereclose,bothasfriendsandartists.Foratimetheylivednextdoortooneanother,andexchangedtheirartisticideasonadailybasis.Thisuniquebookexplorestheir30-yearrelationship,fromthetimeoftheBlueRidergrouparound1912,totheBauhausyearsinWeimarandDessauuntilthelate1930s.WiththecultureoftheWeimarRepublicasabackdrop,thisbooktracestheeventfulhistoryofanartisticfriendship.Kandinsky'sidealismisjuxtaposedwithKlee'sirony,andwelearnthattheirrelationshipwascharacterizedinequalmeasurebyfriendshipandcompetitiveness,mutualinfluenceandtheneedtoestablishdistance.Thefocusisontheartisticdialoguetheyenactedthroughtheirart.Theywerejoinedbyanaspirationtospiritualizeartandexploreitsintrinsiclaws.Atthesametime,Kandinsky'scommitmenttoabstractioncontrastedstronglywithKlee'sallegiancetonaturalmodels.