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Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) was a Russian pioneer of abstract painting whose work has influenced generations of artists. His 'Sounds' ('Klange') of 1912 is one of the earliest, most beautiful examples of a 20th-century artist's book. Its "sound poems" are alternately narrative and expressive, witty and simple in form. They treat questions of space, color, physical design, and the act of seeing in a world that offers multiple and often contradictory possibilities. The woodcut illustrations that accompany the poems range from representational designs to abstract vignettes. In its fusion of image and word, 'Sounds' epitomizes the artist's move toward abstraction and his aspiration to a synthesis of the arts. This updated edition of 'Sounds' includes all of the book's poems in English and German and all of its woodcuts, with color reproductions of the twelve originally printed in color. The translator's introduction offers close formal examination of the poems and situates 'Sounds' in the context of Kandinsky's oeuvre. Although it was prized by prominent 20th-century artists, 'Sounds' has remained less well understood than Kandinsky's theoretical writings. This edition captures the artist's vision and affirms the significance of this pivotal work.
About the author
Wassily Kandinsky was a Russian painter and art theorist, author of
Concerning the Spiritual in Art (1912) and
Point to Line and Plane (1926).
Elizabeth R. Napier is professor of English and American literatures at Middlebury College. Her literary translations include
Selected Poems and Related Prose by F. T. Marinetti (co-translated with Barbara R. Studholme, Yale, 2002).
Summary
A dazzling yet little-known artist's book that distills the painter's seminal interests in abstraction and the unity of the arts
