Abstraction and Spirituality: Kandinsky, Malevich, Mondrian

The Birth of Abstraction

Three pioneers of abstract art arrived at it by different paths — and with different philosophical foundations.

Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944): “Concerning the Spiritual in Art” (1911) — a theoretical manifesto. Kandinsky sought in abstraction an analogue of music: the pure expression of spiritual states without attachment to the external world. Color has “spiritual resonance”: yellow — sharp, hot, exciting; blue — deep, celestial, calming. The first “abstract” watercolor — 1910, the first work without a recognizable subject of depiction.

Kazimir Malevich (1879–1935): “Black Square” (1915) — possibly the most radical point in the history of painting. A black square on a white background. Malevich called this “Suprematism”: the supremacy of pure form over reality. The “zero point” — the starting point of new art.

Mondrian and Neoplasticism

Piet Mondrian (1872–1944) came to abstraction through gradual simplification: from realistic trees to increasingly geometric interpretations — until only horizontal and vertical lines, three primary colors, and white/black remained.

Mondrian’s “Neoplasticism” — a “universal” visual language expressing fundamental opposites: horizontal/vertical, rest/movement, feminine/masculine. This pretension — abstraction as “universal truth.”

Mondrian’s influence is enormous: his “De Stijl” impacted the Bauhaus, 1960s–70s design, modern minimalism. His grid — in graphic design, architecture, interior design.

Question for reflection: Kandinsky, Malevich, and Mondrian sought a “universal language” beyond the depiction of reality. Are there “universal principles” in your profession, transcultural and timeless? Or is everything culturally specific?