Concerning the Spiritual in Art

Kandinsky describes various segments of the spiritual “triangle” as it exists currently. On the lower portion of the triangle, one of the larger segments is occupied by thinkers who identify with materialism despite formally professing various religious creeds; some take materialism to its logical conclusion by denying the existence of any god. In their socioeconomic beliefs, they are democrats, republicans, or socialists. Devoted to “purposeless theory,” these thinkers have little practical experience of solving problems; they rely on those more experienced in life than they to get things done.

Higher up on the triangle are found those who openly profess atheism and positivism while taking an interest in science, art, literature, and music; the artistic style they favor is naturalism. Although outwardly confident in their beliefs, this higher segment is troubled by an insecurity about the reality of progress. This is because they realize that public opinion is changeable, that the conclusions of science are not permanent, and that ideas are in flux; they also have come to see the limitations of science in describing the immaterial aspects of the universe. In the higher segments of the triangle are thinkers who have fully realized the limitations of materialism and who make new discoveries that question materialist assumptions.

Finally, in the highest sphere are those who have transcended materialism entirely, often seeking wisdom in non-Western cultures such as that of India, resulting in the Theosophy movement. Artists have been inspired by more remote periods of art such as that of the “primitives,” in which they find a more spiritual and less materialistic approach to reality. Out of these trends has grown a “tremendous spiritual movement” which seeks to “approach the problem of the spirit by way of the inner knowledge” (13).

Kandinsky argues that when the external supports of civilization—like “religion, science and morality” (14)—are destroyed, man turns his gaze inward. Thus, it is in the arts that the spiritual revolution is making itself felt in the most personal and intimate way. In poetry, Maeterlinck expresses a “spiritual darkness” and fear which suggests a supernatural dimension to reality. Kandinsky argues that Maeterlinck uses language as an artist uses color or as a composer uses music, not to represent the external world but to evoke an “inner harmony” or vibration in the heart and soul. In music, Wagner used the leitmotif to convey the inner essence of character, while Debussy takes sounds of nature as a starting point to evoke “a more abstract impression” and a “spiritual harmony” (16). Such composers as Scriabin and Schoenberg use conventionally “ugly” sounds as a means of reaching a higher truth beyond superficial beauty.

A number of painters have also sought to transcend conventional naturalism and standards of beauty. They include the Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, and Pre-Raphaelites. Cézanne painted inanimate nature and objects as if they were alive, thus giving reality a spiritual dimension. By seeking the “‘inner’ by way of the ‘outer’,” (17), these artists paved the way for abstract art. Kandinsky cites Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso as two recent artists who have succeeded in depicting spiritual reality through color and form—Picasso most recently in his Cubist works.