Wassily Kandinsky, "Father of Abstract Art"
July 8 - 13, 2013
Opening Reception Monday July 8, 6 to 8 pm
See the Artists in Residence Tuesday through Saturday, 9 am to 3 pm, July 9 to 13
The 2013 challenge for the Ripoff Artists is "Garden of Love" by Wassily Kandinsky, (1866-1944) a Russian artist often called "the father of Abstract Art." Kandinsky hoped to create a visual language, using colour and shapes, that would be as abstract yet meaningful as music. He wrote many articles and books on art, and his work and ideas have been very influential in the history of art in the Twentieth Century.
2013 marks the hundredth anniversary of the Armory Show, a large exhibit held in Manhattan. Many well-known artists had works in this show and the catalogue reads like a Who's Who of modern art. The Armory Show marked a shift in the world of art. Up to this point, trends in art came from Europe and the Old World. American and Canadian art had been developing their own styles, but this was still not on the same level as European art and most artists looked to Europe for inspiration and leadership in art.
With the Armory Show, all of that changed. The cutting edge of art shifted toward North America. The following year, World War I broke out, and many of the bright lights whose works were at the Armory Show were killed or their lives were destroyed. The European art scene was never the same. Meanwhile, art in America took off.
Even after the First World War, some great artists still worked in Europe, including Kandinsky. He had a long and industrious career that began in 1896 and lasted well into the twentieth century. His work went through many phases, as he explored the many possibilities of art that was not tied to recognizable forms.
The work we've chosen for the 2013 is The Garden of Love, or Improvisation Number 27. You can read about the painting and more about Kandinsky at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's website here.
Opening Reception Monday July 8, 6 to 8 pm
See the Artists in Residence Tuesday through Saturday, 9 am to 3 pm, July 9 to 13
The 2013 challenge for the Ripoff Artists is "Garden of Love" by Wassily Kandinsky, (1866-1944) a Russian artist often called "the father of Abstract Art." Kandinsky hoped to create a visual language, using colour and shapes, that would be as abstract yet meaningful as music. He wrote many articles and books on art, and his work and ideas have been very influential in the history of art in the Twentieth Century.
2013 marks the hundredth anniversary of the Armory Show, a large exhibit held in Manhattan. Many well-known artists had works in this show and the catalogue reads like a Who's Who of modern art. The Armory Show marked a shift in the world of art. Up to this point, trends in art came from Europe and the Old World. American and Canadian art had been developing their own styles, but this was still not on the same level as European art and most artists looked to Europe for inspiration and leadership in art.
With the Armory Show, all of that changed. The cutting edge of art shifted toward North America. The following year, World War I broke out, and many of the bright lights whose works were at the Armory Show were killed or their lives were destroyed. The European art scene was never the same. Meanwhile, art in America took off.
Even after the First World War, some great artists still worked in Europe, including Kandinsky. He had a long and industrious career that began in 1896 and lasted well into the twentieth century. His work went through many phases, as he explored the many possibilities of art that was not tied to recognizable forms.
The work we've chosen for the 2013 is The Garden of Love, or Improvisation Number 27. You can read about the painting and more about Kandinsky at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's website here.
