Art Knowledge News
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag opens Retrospective of the Work of Der Blaue Reiter |
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| Written by Marion Belmar |
| Monday, 08 February 2010 05:47 |
|
 Wassily Kandinsky
(1866-1944) played an important pioneering role in the development of painting.
His explosive compositions, inspired by experimental music and primitive folk
art, roused strong emotions and incomprehension among art critics, public and
fellow artists. When he met Franz Marc, Kandinsky immediately recognised a
kindred spirit who shared his interest in and ideas about painting and music.
Just two days after they first met, they were already attending an Arnold
Schönberg concert together. It was the start of a close friendship and in 1911
they set up Der Blaue Reiter (‘The Blue Rider’), swiftly attracting the adhesion
of artists like Gabriele Münter, Alexej von Jawlensky, August Macke, Marianne
von Werefkin and Heinrich Campendonck. The group was highly diverse, both in style and membership. Yet there are common features; the Expressionism of Der Blaue Reiter is poetic and shows influences of Russian fairytales and traditional folk narratives. The artists worked instinctively, generally using bright colours, and were fascinated by nature and animals. This interest is reflected, for example, in the imposing, lovingly depicted horses that often fill Franz Marc’s paintings, evoking warm emotions in the viewer. Kandinsky went his own way within the group. He felt there was a clear intuitive relationship between sound and form. This belief became an important starting point in his work and would eventually lead to what is now generally regarded as the world’s first abstract painting. The series of Improvisations and Compositions, in which the viewer can almost hear the sounds of music, are fine examples of Kandinsky’s quest for the ultimate amalgam of painting and music. With the outbreak of war in 1914, the group disintegrated. Kandinsky left his partner Gabriele Münter and returned to Russia. Macke and Marc were called up to fight at the front, where they perished in the trenches. The tension and uncertainty of the times can be clearly felt in the paintings made immediately before and during the First World War. The exhibition also looks at the artists’ life stories and the relations between them. The rare historical documents on show include photographs taken of Kandinsky and Gabriele Münter during their visit to the Netherlands in 1904 and never previously exhibited.  This exhibition, full of masterpieces by
Kandinsky and the artists of Der Blaue Reiter, is the result of close
cooperation between the Gemeentemuseum and Munich’s Städtische Galerie im
Lehnbachhaus. It will be accompanied by a lavishly illustrated catalogue
containing essays by Doede Hardeman, Annegret Hoberg, Helmut Friedel and Franz
Kaiser. The exhibition is part of the Holland Art Cities event.For Kandinsky, “great realism” and “great abstraction” were equivalent. We therefore find a wide range of stylistic approaches and artistic expressions among the painters of the Blue Rider. During his time in Munich until 1914, Kandinsky himself chose the way toward abstraction. His development from early studies of nature to a more representational style is perfectly represented in the collection of the Lenbachhaus. His counterpart was Franz Marc, who, in his paintings, was seeking to reconcile nature and creature. Helmut Friedel: “Around the year 1910, Marc’s animal studies were set free from the restrictions of pure representation and became sheer color events.But also Gabriele Münter, August Macke, Alexej von Jawlensky and Paul Klee developed individual artistic expressions, though expressionist landscapes were prevailing.” The Gemeentemuseum Den Haag employs around 145 people directly and many others indirectly, through the work it subcontracts to various companies. In 1999 the museum was privatised and it is now run by a Foundation (Stichting) headed by the Director. A Supervisory Board checks that the museum is being properly managed and led. The museum organisation is divided into 4 sectors: Collections, Exhibitions, Communications and Management. Visit : http://www.gemeentemuseum.nl/ Click on logo below to add this article to your favorite Social Website ~ |
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