Customer Reviews

Wassily Kandinsky (Artists of the 20th Century)

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I'll have to agree with the other reviewers. The DVD quality is lackluster at best and I was disappointed by the fact that they didn't delve too deeply into Kandinsky's life with interviews of experts or perhaps even some visuals of the places he called home in Germany and Russia.


On the other hand, to be fair, I was constantly comparing this DVD to a big budget DVD I own about Rousseau that I picked up at the National Gallery of Art during last year's exhibit of Rousseau's work.

What I can say is that I was pleased to see some of my favorite "Composition" paintings presented. Kandinsky's work is utterly wondrous and even a mediocre DVD can't hide this. The colors, the spiritual depth, the sophistication yet simplicity of the form - Gosh, it was great.


At the end of the day, I got more out of buying this DVD - both with regard to the entertainment as well as educative benefits - than I would a visit to the local movie theater.

I wish they'd do a whole DVD on Kandinsky's work "Concerning The Spiritual in Art" - that would be great.

Here's a quick tip: try buying a copy of the DVD from one of the other sellers (Just click on "used and new"), the quality is just the same (as a new one) and the price will no doubt be better. Even if the DVD isn't what you'd prefer it to be, it shall certainly prove worth the small spend.

I hope this review is helpful...
Enjoy the art!

I really enjoy a DVD about the art and artist such as the Alberto Giacometti DVD. The artist lives not only though his art but his own voice and that of his friends. Kandinsky is a steril DVD. If the art was not so compelling, for me this presentation would get 1 star. Buy only if Kandinsky's work compells you, not his life.

Great for Teachers- good review. A bit fast for some Comm college students and for some reason the narrator put them to sleep. You should judge for yourself- classes/students may be different. I suggest a video that integrates in lively fashion, artists life and times with the work. This is more a "list" of his works.

Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky is generally regarded as an originator of abstract painting and one of the most important innovators in modern art, both as an artist and as a theorist. He only started painting when he was 30 after training as a lawyer in Moscow, suddenly abandoning his home and profession and traveling to Munich to study art. His talent quickly tested the constraints of art school and he began exploring his own ideas. Beginning in 1903, his work was exhibited throughout Europe and often caused controversy among the public, critics and his contemporaries. Kandinsky's unrelenting quest for new forms produced works of a great many styles. His earlier works, both abstract and figurative, are characterized by a romantic superabundance of brilliant colors and complex patterns. In the 1920's, his work took him to the extremes of geometric abstraction, with sharply etched outlines and clear patterns. In very late works, Kandinsky blended the free, intuitive image of his earlier years with these geometric forms to create a more elegant, beautifully balanced style. Accompanied by spectacular images of the artist's greatest work.