Blaue Reiter Almanac, The [Paperback]

Klaus Lankheit (Author), Franz Marc (Editor, Artist), Wassily Kandinsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 2005

The Blaue Reiter (Blue Rider)--art movement was founded in 1911 by the young painters Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, and was active in Europe until 1914. Originally published in Munich in 1912 and edited by Kandinsky and Marc-- the movements's almanac presented their synthesis of international culture to the European avant-garde at large. In both the selection of essays and its innovative interplay of word and image, The Blaue Reiter Almanac remains one of our most critically important works of literature on the art theory and culture of the 20th century. This edition, long unavailable in English and indispensable to any student of modernism, simulates the original German format, and includes documents, and musical notations, as well as seminal essays by Kandinsky, Schoenberg, Marc, and others. Nearly 150 illustrations, from ancient and contemporary sources, capture the wide-ranging interests and passions that inspired Kandinsky's and Marc's programmatic attempt to make modernism accessible across national and chronological boundaries. Also included is Klaus Lankheit's extensive critical introduction, which places the Blaue Reiter in context for contemporary readers."The almanac remains unique among European writings on art; no other country produced a comparable work capturing the excitement and tension of the years before World War I." (Will Grohmann)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: MFA Publications; Documentary Ed. / edition (November 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878467009
• ISBN-13: 978-0878467006
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #71,313 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #64 in Books > Arts & Photography > Museum Exhibition Catalogs
  • #74 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Artists, Architects & Photographers

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A valuable scrutiny of the Blaue Reiter art movement, February 5, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blaue Reiter Almanac, The (Paperback)

Originally published in Munich in 1912, and now available in English, The Blaue Reiter Almanac is a valuable scrutiny of the Blaue Reiter (Blue Rider) art movement, which was founded in 1911 by painters Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc and remained active in Europe until 1914. The Blaue Reiter Almanac combines an assembly of short essays with black-and-white reproductions of artwork to offer the reader a glimpse into the methodology, purpose, and essence of this short-lived yet passionate movement. An invaluable addition to modern art history shelves.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seminal 20th Century Art Document, September 21, 2007

By 

Earl Arnett (Baltimore) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blaue Reiter Almanac, The (Paperback)

The editors, Kandinsky and Marc, put together this manifesto before World War I. It's an essential document for understanding the artistic ferment in Germany, France and Russia in the early part of the 20th Century.

Marc died at Verdun in 1916; Kandinsky pursued a successful career, and died in Paris during World War II. Both men believed that artists were the spiritual leaders of the future--a belief that still reverberates today.