Kandinsky at the Guggenheim

I was first inspired by the artist Vasily Kandinsky during a junior high school trip to the Guggenheim in New York City – and it was love at first site. Maybe it was the colorful geometric patterns of his later works on paper that spoke to me. After all, it was the 80’s and geometric patterns were everywhere – from the patterns on our sweater dresses to the shapes of our dangling earrings and even our hair (remember the crimper?). But that is belittling Kandinsky’s work.

There is just something about his colors and shapes that speak to me and I’ve found that I love to use similar geometric patterns (if not a bit more simple) in the works I create, from mandalas to logos. Even he was inspired by the color & composition of Monet’s work, not necessarily the subject matter. So it’s no surprise that Kandinsky’s work even inspired the creation of the Guggenheim building itself.

So it was great to return to the Guggenheim during its 50th Anniversary celebration, in which the museum is filled with the canvases that encouraged its inception.

Together with the Centre Pompidou and Städtische Galerie, the Guggenheim has assembled one of the greatest collections of Kandinsky work in one place. If you are not familiar with the artist, you can read more about the Kandinsky exhibit on the Guggenheim site, but I also highly recommend you visit the museum itself. The exhibit runs through January 13, 2010.