We take this idea and map artwork onto it on the history of Vasily Kandinsky. Can hardly find a Russian artist - remember his early chromatic fantasy, based on folk art, and later poluabstraktsii created on the same basis. At the same time it is difficult to imagine a more cosmopolitan artist. In this regard, consider the language of abstract art by Kandinsky, invented it during the creation of the Institute of Artistic Culture in Moscow in the early years of the Soviet Union. Is not this language is actually the world the Russian revolution? Especially if you remember more about the work of Kandinsky and the German Bauhaus. After all, it was another great utopian experiment in the development and teaching the most important formal and poetic foundations of visual arts.
Now New York's Guggenheim Museum, which was established by philanthropist Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and an art critic Hill Ribey largely to promote the ideas of Kandinsky and exhibited a magnificent retrospective of the artist. And who in his youth worked as a watchman at the museum, and there learned the lessons of Kandinsky, and then created a very original and, according to many critics, the most "American" art of the twentieth century, affected the entire post-war avant-garde as much as the art of Kandinsky's influence on artists between the two world wars? Answer - Jackson Pollock.
We know from the memoirs that Kandinsky was difficult, very intelligent, somewhat pedantic, very insightful and at the same time, in a sense, a naive man. All these qualities are manifested in his works, which remain valid until now, despite the fact that much there seems outdated. The main work of Kandinsky - "On the Spiritual in Art". In it the artist expresses the need to return the art of transcendental values. In which, he believed, is raison d'etre of art. This thought he expressed, realizing that all the more prevalent materialism of his sulky. Materialism in this sense it is perceived and described as the most unfortunate phenomenon in the art, which should subsequently disappear from the art scene. With this concept, he linked the vanity, greed, kumirotvorchestvo, unthinking adherence to the academic tradition and primitive imitation. All that Theodor Adorno called the culture industry. Of course, now that even more than it was then. As Marx said, the number of turns into quality. With regard to the arts can say that money is lost in proportion to the growth of immoderate. Large, bright, shiny, expensive - does not mean better and even more durable.
The simple opposition of material and spiritual, proposed Kandinsky, inadequate conditions for the existence of contemporary art. Materialism, too, is different, with it connected and significant achievements in the art of the last eighty years. That meant Kandinsky, and that annoys us, it is not materialism, as such, and commercialization.
But spirituality is sometimes turns into its opposite, especially when confused with religiosity. My friend told me that he told in a sanatorium, where he was treated for alcoholism. Familiar drunkard, with whom he discussed how you can completely change their lives, said: "Religious people are afraid to go to Hell, and spiritual there have already visited. I'm not religious, but even by the standards of Kandinsky and not spiritual, but intuitively understand that meant the source of my friend. I am sure that they understand it and many others, including entire nations that have been or now pass through the most serious test.
If I decided to replace the word "materialistic" to the word "commercial", then let me suggest that from now on be called "spiritual" "conceptual". I mention this is here, as is well know that conceptual art meant and continues to mean for Russia. And let me emphasize that a fair international recognition of authors such as Erik Bulatov, Ilya Kabakov, Andrei Monastery, and other artists belonging to the first generation of Russian conceptualists, it is equally important for the history of Russian art, than the recognition of Kandinsky, Chagall, Exter, El Lisitsky, Malevich, Popova, Rodchenko, Rozanova, Stepanova, and other masters of the tenth - of the twenties of last century. To this I would add that the conceptual work of the authors of the younger generation, such as Vadim Zakharov and Paul Pepperstein - both of them this year nominated for Kandinsky, - made a significant contribution to the tradition and gave it a new dimension.
Few of the artists named me "spiritual" in the sense attached to this word Kandinsky. For example, Rodchenko can not be called "spiritual", but this does not prevent us to recognize him as one of the greatest artists of his time. Every day we are all better understand that the Russian conceptual art, the work of its founders and successors, goes far beyond changing fashions or the interests of the art market. American conceptualist Sol Levitt once said that the idea - a machine for creating art. He did not mean that this machine to create a product. This is a machine for processing meaning, which helps us understand some important patterns of our lives.
As time showed, conceptualist idea has tremendous potential. Because it leads to the appearance of such works of art, which showed us two of the nominee this year, Vadim Zakharov and Paul Pepperstein. We see that the result of this methodology can be anything, whether it is installation or graphic sheets. It is important that these artists make us re-think about everyday, to look beyond the reality, even if physically we remain immersed in it. They put us beyond the bounds of our everyday consciousness.
Today I was invited to talk about art and its audience, so long could not approach the topic, because he considered it necessary first to say something about the history of art and art as such. And now, let me end up with what I had planned to start. I want you to remember the work of artist Olga Chernysheva. Everyone knows that in the tenth and twentieth years of the last century in the forefront of Russian art of women had no less than men.
When we talk about the art of our time, then, as a rule, try to use vague, but in the end will inevitably come to that art - these are people passionately in love with him, ready to give it their all. Collectors, critics, curators, and, of course, the artists themselves. About the audience we are talking prohibitively rare. But these are people who are able to respond to the beauty of art, or ugly, or his poetry, his complex paradoxes. In the end, the art world is one of them and is, even though they are not involved in his labors. Too often we forget about the audience. But we can not afford to neglect it, while at the same time can not and indifferent to it as inevitable. We should by all means to provoke the audience at the fruitful dialogue with contemporary art.
Let me describe the video Chernysheva "Sengay. In it we see a young woman who sells toys in the street. Specifically, it demonstrates that we in America call the Etch-A-Sketch - «special device with an electronic screen, which you can draw e-stick, then wash out the picture in order to draw something else in the same place. Young woman in the video Chernysheva draws a circle, square, triangle. This figure is associated with the geometric abstractions of Kandinsky and Malevich. But the first time something like this drawn to the Zen Buddhist monk by the name of the XVIII century Sengay. Each geometrical figure, it represents one of the parts of the universe.
So, a young woman standing in the middle of a crowded pedestrian street - I think it's Arbat. She draws space. And people stopped to see what she does, talk to her, maybe buy this toy, bring it home, and also to draw circles, squares and triangles, think of outer space. These people - also the artistic community, the potential - a great artistic community of the future. Of course, this statement may seem utopian. But, in my opinion, it is in the spirit of Kandinsky. We know from history that sometimes occur at times when events occur more recently seemed unthinkable. Sometimes it happens by itself, but sometimes it becomes the result of purposeful work of people who take the time and effort to translate lofty ideas. It is in the hope that the bold and makes judgments that are then recognized as true. When this happens, the audience shows respect for the extraordinary, fragile things that makes an artist, she is grateful to those who makes her see clearly. And it is worth any effort. That is why I am here with you, to welcome the Kandinsky Prize winner this year.
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