“It was upbeat, I had to make it orange.”

“Oh yeah, look at this one --

it’s abstract.”

Synesthesia!

Wassily Kandinsky Black Strokes I (1913)

Let’s chat a bit about everyone’s favorite neurological condition....

Seeing sounds!

Tasting music!

Hearing odors...?

Feeling colors!

The ability to hear.

The ability to see.

The ability to taste.

The ability to smell.

The ability to feel.

Sketches based on a concert of composer Arthur Schoenberg’s music. Kandinsky later said the music he heard that evening changed the way he thought about art.

Sketches for Impression II (Concert) (1911)

Kandinsky’s Path to

Abstraction

Impression II (Concert) (1911)

“The sound of colors is so definite

that it would be hard to find anyone who would express bright yellow with bass notes or dark lake with treble...”

- Wassily Kandinsky

Wassily Kandinsky

Composition VII (1913)

“The more abstract is form, the more clear and direct its appeal.”