Kandinsky Watercolours and other works on paper

This handsome catalog accompanies an exhibition curated by art historian Whitford of Vasily Kandinsky's watercolors and works on paper. He also provides an introductory essay. More than 130 watercolors and prints, stunningly reproduced, are included. As the president of the Royal Academy, Sir Phillip Dowson, says, "This exhibition is to make good the [unintended] omission of Kandinsky's work from a full scale museum exhibition in London." Many of Kandinsky's watercolors are studies for oils or prints. He was not a pure watercolorist, but his colors achieve a greater saturation than his later oil paintings. Kandinsky was one of the first Western artists to create abstract works. This book does not intend to provide a substantial examination of his works but instead focuses on Kandinsky's complex personal life. This is conveyed by the photographs that illustrate his experiences as a Russian emigre from WW I and the Russian Revolution to the rise of the Nazis and their occupation of France. Another work of importance about his watercolors is Watercolors by Kandinsky at the Guggenheim Museum, essay by Susan B. Hirschfeld (CH, Mar'92). General readers; undergraduates through professionals. M. Kren; Kansas State University

This catalog to an exhibition at The Royal Academy, London, contains works on loan from museums worldwide brought together to form a complete picture of the development of Kandinsky's artistry on paperÄincluding watercolors, prints, and drawings. The first 86 pagesÄdivided into three chronological sections, "Moscow and Munich (1866-1914)," "Moscow and the Bauhaus (1915-1933)," and "Paris (1934-1944)"Äare devoted to an informative and full examination of his life. The text is supported by numerous photographs of him and his works. In the catalog section, the photographs of the works are clear and have good detail and color. There is a full explanation of each work in the rear of the volume, including medium, date, size, and present location, though one wishes that this material were placed closer to the reproductions. Finally, a very useful chronology of Kandinsky's life, a short bibliography, and a short but helpful index round out the text. This beautifully produced and informative work on one of the most important abstract artists belongs in all academic and most public collections.ÄMartin Chasin, Adult Inst., Bridgeport, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.