The presence of sand in Wassily Kandinsky's Parisian paintings

Abstract

Despite the extensive research that has been done on Wassily Kandinsky, little has been said about his use of sand during the decade that he spent in Paris. During this time, Kandinsky's work shows a significant shift in both style and technique. One particular innovation was the addition of sand, and I find it interesting that this aspect of Kandinsky's career has not been fully explored. I saw Kandinsky's use of sand as an interesting addition to his work, and I questioned his use of this material. The lack of research in this area gave me the opportunity to formulate a theory as to why Kandinsky used sand and no other extraneous material. This examination of Kandinsky's use of sand will contribute to the overall understanding that we have of his work by providing us with a theory and a purpose behind his use of sand. The purpose was to underscore the spirituality that can be found in his artworks.