GENERAL DESCRIPTION
In 1912, painter Wassily Kandinsky published Du Spirituel dans l'art (On the Spiritual in Art), a catalyst of early experimentation with abstraction. A central theme of the manifesto is the relationship between color and the senses, not only sight, but also touch, taste, smell, and hearing, specifically analogies between hues and sounds. Concurrently, Kandinsky wrote and illustrated a series of poems published as Klänge (Sounds), one of the most important livres d’artiste (artist books) of the 20th century. The poems and woodcuts, which range from representational vignettes inspired by folk art and Jugendstil (Youth Style) design to abstract compositions of swaths of color, function as an expression of synesthesia in which words, forms, and colors collectively convey sound. Through never widely circulated, Klänge (Sounds) remains one of Kandinsky's most significant works, one that offers insight into the evolution and maturation of his theory and style.
Adapted from
- Samantha Robinson, "Modern Opulence in Vienna: The Wittgenstein Vitrine" label copy, 2014
- Sara Woodbury, "Cross-Dialogues in European and American Landscapes" label copy, 2011
NOTES
I added the "Nationality" and "Begin Search Date" to the Constituent record for publisher R. Piper & Co,
EMILY:
Please change the title in TMS to Klänge (Sounds). The current title - Two Women in a Moonlit Landscape - refers to one of the 12 color woodcuts in the book, although not the woodcut in the above image, currrently displayed on TMS and the online collections. Please retain the current title as a former title.
Please change the "Edition" field in the "Documentation" tab in TMS to 268/345.
Please add Poeschel & Trepte (nationality German) and Friedrich Bruckmann, A.-G. (nationality German, location Munich) as printers in the "Constituents" field in TMS.
Please add the following to TMS as a Text Entries:
Label Copy
Wassily Kandinsky wrote and illustrated a series of poems published as Die Klänge (The Sounds), one of the most important livres d’artiste (artist books) of the 20th century. The poems and woodcuts, which range from representational vignettes inspired by early Jugendstil (Youth Style) design to abstract compositions of swaths of color, function as a multisensory expression of synesthesia in which words, forms, and colors convey sounds. The interdependence of text and image is reminiscent of the principle of Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) practiced by Wiener Werkstätte designers.
Author: Samantha Robinson
Date: November 15, 2014
Remarks: "Modern Opulence in Vienna: The Wittgenstein Vitrine" label copy
Label Copy
"I don't want to create anything but sounds," proclaimed the Russian artist and author, Wassily Kandinsky in his 1912 manifesto, On the Spiritual in Art. Indeed, Kandinsky's Klänge (Sounds), one of the most important livres d 'artiste (artist's book) of the twentieth century, does just that. In Klange, Kandinsky combines texts and images as an expression of synesthesia, in which word, form, and color are designed to express sound. The poems and woodcuts in the book come from a period of radical change and experimentation in Kandinsky' s artistic progression toward abstraction. The poems repeatedly treat questions of space, color, physical design, as well as the act of seeing, while the woodcuts range from vignettes inspired by Russian folktales to purely abstract
compositions like the image displayed here. Seen together, the text/image combination creates a multi-sensory experience for the reader/viewer as he or she reads the words and sees the image. Displayed here is the poem "Still?" (translated from German to English) and its accompanying woodcut.
You, wild foam.
You good for-nothing-snail , you who don't love me.
Empty silence of endless soldiers' steps, that here cannot be heard.
You, set of four windows with a cross in the middle.
You, windows of the empty hall, of the white wall where no one leans. You,
Speaking windows with inaudible sighs. You ignore me: you weren't built for me.
You, true mortar.
You, meditative swallow, you who don't love me.
Self-consuming silence of rumbling wheels that chase and shape the figures.
You, thousands of stones that weren't laid for me and sunk down with
Hammers. You hold my feet in a spell. You are small, hard and gray. Who
Gave you the power to show me the glittering gold?
You, speaking gold. You wait for me. You invite me: you were built for me.
You, soulful mortar.
Author: Unknown
Date: Unknown
Remarks: Label copy (undated, copy in Collections Records Object File)
Please add the Provenance and Exhibition History listed below to TMS.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designer
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
WALL LABEL Y
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 2003: Natalie H. (Schatzie) and George T. Lee, Dallas, Texas.
From 2003: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the above.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- Museum of Modern Art~View an interactive page-turning animation of Wassily Kandinsky's Die Klänge (Sounds).
- Museum of Modern Art~MoMA's Associate Curator of Prints and Illustrated Books Starr Figura discusses the role of woodcuts in the development of Wassily Kandisnky's style.
- Tate~Read the essay "Between Text and Image in Kandinsky's Oeuvre: A Consideration of the Album Sounds" by Christopher Short.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
- The Dallas Museum of Art's copy of Wassily Kandinsky's Klänge (Sounds) is 268 in an edition of 345 copies published by Piper & Co. in 1913.
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 2003.8
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General Description
In 1912, painter Wassily Kandinsky published Du Spirituel dans l'art (On the Spiritual in Art), a catalyst of early experimentation with abstraction. A central theme of the manifesto is the relationship between color and the senses, not only sight, but also touch, taste, smell, and hearing, specifically analogies between hues and sounds. Concurrently, Kandinsky wrote and illustrated a series of poems published as Klänge (Sounds), one of the most important livres d’artiste (artist books) of the 20th century. The poems and woodcuts, which range from representational vignettes inspired by folk art and Jugendstil (Youth Style) design to abstract compositions of swaths of color, function as an expression of synesthesia in which words, forms, and colors collectively convey sound. Through never widely circulated, Klänge (Sounds) remains one of Kandinsky's most significant works, one that offers insight into the evolution and maturation of his theory and style.
Adapted from
- Samantha Robinson, "Modern Opulence in Vienna: The Wittgenstein Vitrine" label copy, 2014
- Sara Woodbury, "Cross-Dialogues in European and American Landscapes" label copy, 2011
Fun Facts
- The Dallas Museum of Art's copy of Wassily Kandinsky's Klänge (Sounds) is 268 in an edition of 345 copies published by Piper & Co. in 1913.
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- Museum of Modern Art~View an interactive page-turning animation of Wassily Kandinsky's Die Klänge (Sounds).
- Museum of Modern Art~MoMA's Associate Curator of Prints and Illustrated Books Starr Figura discusses the role of woodcuts in the development of Wassily Kandisnky's style.
- Tate~Read the essay "Between Text and Image in Kandinsky's Oeuvre: A Consideration of the Album Sounds" by Christopher Short.
Notes
I added the "Nationality" and "Begin Search Date" to the Constituent record for publisher R. Piper & Co,
EMILY:
Please change the title in TMS to Klänge (Sounds). The current title - Two Women in a Moonlit Landscape - refers to one of the 12 color woodcuts in the book, although not the woodcut in the above image, currrently displayed on TMS and the online collections. Please retain the current title as a former title.
Please change the "Edition" field in the "Documentation" tab in TMS to 268/345.
Please add Poeschel & Trepte (nationality German) and Friedrich Bruckmann, A.-G. (nationality German, location Munich) as printers in the "Constituents" field in TMS.
Please add the following to TMS as a Text Entries:
Label Copy
Wassily Kandinsky wrote and illustrated a series of poems published as Die Klänge (The Sounds), one of the most important livres d’artiste (artist books) of the 20th century. The poems and woodcuts, which range from representational vignettes inspired by early Jugendstil (Youth Style) design to abstract compositions of swaths of color, function as a multisensory expression of synesthesia in which words, forms, and colors convey sounds. The interdependence of text and image is reminiscent of the principle of Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) practiced by Wiener Werkstätte designers.
Author: Samantha Robinson
Date: November 15, 2014
Remarks: "Modern Opulence in Vienna: The Wittgenstein Vitrine" label copy
Label Copy
"I don't want to create anything but sounds," proclaimed the Russian artist and author, Wassily Kandinsky in his 1912 manifesto, On the Spiritual in Art. Indeed, Kandinsky's Klänge (Sounds), one of the most important livres d 'artiste (artist's book) of the twentieth century, does just that. In Klange, Kandinsky combines texts and images as an expression of synesthesia, in which word, form, and color are designed to express sound. The poems and woodcuts in the book come from a period of radical change and experimentation in Kandinsky' s artistic progression toward abstraction. The poems repeatedly treat questions of space, color, physical design, as well as the act of seeing, while the woodcuts range from vignettes inspired by Russian folktales to purely abstract
compositions like the image displayed here. Seen together, the text/image combination creates a multi-sensory experience for the reader/viewer as he or she reads the words and sees the image. Displayed here is the poem "Still?" (translated from German to English) and its accompanying woodcut.
You, wild foam.
You good for-nothing-snail , you who don't love me.
Empty silence of endless soldiers' steps, that here cannot be heard.
You, set of four windows with a cross in the middle.
You, windows of the empty hall, of the white wall where no one leans. You,
Speaking windows with inaudible sighs. You ignore me: you weren't built for me.
You, true mortar.
You, meditative swallow, you who don't love me.
Self-consuming silence of rumbling wheels that chase and shape the figures.
You, thousands of stones that weren't laid for me and sunk down with
Hammers. You hold my feet in a spell. You are small, hard and gray. Who
Gave you the power to show me the glittering gold?
You, speaking gold. You wait for me. You invite me: you were built for me.
You, soulful mortar.
Author: Unknown
Date: Unknown
Remarks: Label copy (undated, copy in Collections Records Object File)
Please add the Provenance and Exhibition History listed below to TMS.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designer
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
WALL LABEL Y
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 2003: Natalie H. (Schatzie) and George T. Lee, Dallas, Texas.
From 2003: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the above.
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VIDEO ASSETS
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