Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) is credited as one of the pioneers of abstraction in western art. His creation of abstract work followed a long period of development of creative thought, based on his ...artistic experiences. Kandinsky was a pioneer, and all forms of abstract painting there is scarcely one that he himself did not initiate and experiment with. Wassily Kandinsky was progressing from lyrical outbursts of colour, a symbiosis of poems and paintings to a simple flawless architectural organization and a rigorous form. Kandinsky’s work steadily and harmoniously gathered and spiritual power until it rose at last to a great cosmic synthesis. In this article we will analyse the emergence of abstract art in the period 1910-1914 and Wassily Kandinsky’s influence on that process. Among other things through an analysis of a group of artists “Der Blaue Reiter” (The Blue Rider) including Wassily Kandinsky, August Macke, Paul Klee, and Franz Marc. Wassily Kandinsky was a kind of original source and inspiration for modern art, and he never felt himself bound by a rigid discipline, but aimed at extending the field of art to include all orders of knowledge.
This book presents new research on the histories and legacies of the German Expressionist group Blaue Reiter, the founding force behind modernist abstraction. For the first time Blaue Reiter is ...subjected to a variety of novel inter-disciplinary perspectives, ranging from a philosophical enquiry into its language and visual perception to analyses of its gender dynamics, its reception at different historical junctures throughout the twentieth century and its legacies for post-colonial aesthetic practices. The volume offers a new perspective on familiar aspects of Expressionism and abstraction, taking seriously the inheritance of modernism for the twenty-first century in ways that will help to recalibrate the field of Expressionist studies for future scholarship. Blaue Reiter still matters, the contributors argue, because the legacies of abstraction are still being debated by artists, writers, philosophers and cultural theorists today.This book presents new research on the histories and legacies of the German Expressionist group Blaue Reiter, the founding force behind modernist abstraction. For the first time Blaue Reiter is subjected to a variety of novel inter-disciplinary perspectives, ranging from a philosophical enquiry into its language and visual perception to analyses of its gender dynamics, its reception at different historical junctures throughout the twentieth century and its legacies for post-colonial aesthetic practices. The volume offers a new perspective on familiar aspects of Expressionism and abstraction, taking seriously the inheritance of modernism for the twenty-first century in ways that will help to recalibrate the field of Expressionist studies for future scholarship. Blaue Reiter still matters, the contributors argue, because the legacies of abstraction are still being debated by artists, writers, philosophers and cultural theorists today.
Risdon profiles August Macke (1887-l914), and Franz Marc (1880-1916) who were key figures in early German Expressionism before the First World War. Macke grew up in Meschede, Cologne and Bonn in the ...German Rhineland, and studied art at the Dusseldorf Academy of Applied Art. It is odd that on his only visit to London Macke chose to stay in Anerley, a bland suburb about 10 miles from the city centre. His relatives in Anerley were the Brickwede family running the Railway Hotel at 1 Station Road, beside the station on its east side. Marc and Macke met for the first time in January 1910 at Marc's studio in Munich. Marc and Macke were very different, Marc intense and always active, Macke more genial and contemplative.
This article examines the importance of visual culture with regard to its pedagogical applications in the German language classroom. I begin by outlining the benefits and concerns associated with ...making visual art a part of the curriculum. Next, practical ideas are presented for using paintings in beginning, intermediate, and advanced courses. From the acquisition of basic vocabulary, to a springboard for descriptive writing, to the illustration of literary and cultural movements such as Classicism, Romanticism, or Expressionism, visual art can be employed on all levels of instruction to enrich both language acquisition and cultural competency. Perhaps most significantly, visual art can be used to inspire students to take a closer look at literature, providing access to verbal art ranging from prose to drama to poetry. The immediacy of images engages interest in a way that encourages critical thinking and an understanding of how language, literature, and culture are inextricably connected.
In August 1960, the Arts Council of Great Britain, in conjunction with the Edinburgh Festival and the Tate Gallery, launched a major retrospective exhibition of Der Blaue Reiter artists, the first ...show of its kind in the UK to collectively introduce the group to the British public. According to the contemporary press, however, the exhibition was a failure when it moved to the Tate in late September. Critics and art historians alike derided the show for being too intellectually-minded, arguing that it spoke only to the erudite few who were already familiar with the Munich-based movement. Building upon the critical literature at mid-century, this chapter proposes a re-evaluation of the 1960 Tate exhibition and its curatorial agenda. Instead of suggesting that the show was inherently flawed because of its programme, it argues that the aesthetically non-unified style of Der Blaue Reiter was, in part, responsible for the show’s non-laudatory praise. As such, this chapter advances a rethinking of Der Blaue Reiter as a cosmopolitan movement that vacillates between historical and artistic significance, and considers how a bias for French modernism may have affected the manner in which the Tate exhibition was received in post-war Great Britain.
Trostlose Stunden Kuhlman, Erika
Of Little Comfort,
03/2012
Book Chapter
This chapter interweaves the love stories of two wives and their soldier-husbands with the ways in which widows acted collectively to attain a political voice in the early years of the Weimar ...Republic. The first part uses the letters written by Elisabeth Macke and August Macke, the German Expressionist artist, to make the case that, contrary to some historians' views, husbands and wives expressed their experiences and emotions quite thoroughly and honestly during long absences from each other. The second part focuses on the missives exchanged between Johanna and Julius Boldt, which also support the notion of the symbiosis between battlefront and home front. The final section demonstrates the politicization of war widows as activists in survivors' organizations.
For the first time in Philip Leone's 11-year career with Premier Nissan and Premier Kia dealerships in Jefferson Parish, he sold out of every vehicle in the lot. There were an overwhelming number of ...people looking for replacement vehicles, said Leone. We had customers who, because of insurance checks, were able to buy cars without a trade-in. We saw people putting $2,000, $3,000 and $4,000 as down payments.Car dealerships across the New Orleans area benefited in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina's destruction, which was followed by opportunistic thieves. The months of October and November were terrific for Jefferson Parish - on both banks of the river, said Bob Israel, executive vice president of the Baton Rouge- based, Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association. They were selling record numbers.Premier Nissan in Metairie sold 700 vehicles in October, a 155 percent increase over the nearly 275 vehicles sold in October 2004. That helped offset losses from 30 cars stolen during Katrina and damage to the dealership's fence and showroom floor.Premier Kia in Kenner sold 300 cars in October, a 200 percent increase over the 100 cars it sold in October 2004.The end of the year is normally a good time of year in car business. This year it was even better, Leone said. October was a one-month event.