ROME Until the 4th.II.2001 Wassily Kandinsky. Between Munchen and Rome – 1896-1921 Vittoriano

The exposition illustrates the most significant periods in the painter’s life: from 1986, when he had his first travel in Monaco, to 1921, when he definitely left Russia to go and live in Berlin and then in France. The first paintings Kandinsky made, are pervaded of Jugendstil, and recall us the fabulous atmosphere of Russia. Starting from that period, 80 works follow the evolution of the painter.
About the beginning of his artistic carrier, Kandinsky wrote: “Suddenly, for the first time, I saw a picture. According to the catalogue it represented a straw-rick, but I couldn’t recognize it. This fact troubled me. But what was really clear to me, was the incredible strength of colours, which went beyond my dreams; painting became to me strength and legend.”
This extraordinary picture was “The straw-ricks”, by Claude Monet, displayed in the Vittoriano until last September. This sentence explains Kandinsky’s style and research throughout his life.

1910 is the turning point: the first abstract paintings and then Kandinsky’s most famous pictures, as “Improvisations”, “Compositions”, “Impressions”: names taken from music, an art which Kandinsky loved. Composition VII is the protagonist of the exposition: it is the largest picture made before the first World War, and for the first time it is on display in Italy. It was painted only in 3 days and it represents an explosion of music. After 1915 Kandinsky paints more and more abstract pictures, getting to a complete rational and geometrical style.
Just to conclude, we shall point out that the illumination, realised by Adriano Caputo, is very good and much better than in the previous expositions at the Vittoriano.

English version by Simona Piselli