An erudite man with many diverse talents, Kandinsky ultimately devoted his life to the multisensory and spiritual realms of art. The documentary I Spy with My Little Eye tells his story in an inviting, energetic fashion.
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In the opening minutes of I Spy with My Little Eye, a baritone voice invites us to come and explore the creative and potentially life-changing powers of Wassily Kandinsky’s art.
The camera situates us in downtown New York, as we’re whisked to the Guggenheim Museum, located on 1071 5th Ave. The over the shoulder camera shots, used often in the film, are meant to be intimate. You may not live anywhere near New York City, but with the aid of a zealous narrator qua tour guide, the film will happily take you there.
Though it can feel a little gimmicky at first, the film is surprisingly enjoyable. Indeed, in contrast to many contemporary documentaries—with blathering on-screen presenters and an unnecessarily large number of experts and critics—the film remains admirably focused on its subject matter and on actually informing viewers.
A wise decision, given the breadth and depth of Kandisnky’s life. He was not only a revolutionary painter but a deeply intellectual person with a constantly searching mind. He was a writer and theorist, painter and musician, teacher and founding member of several influential groups and movements.
In Stefan Schneider’s I Spy with my Little Eye, viewers are given a solid introduction to the world famous abstract expressionist. It’s an inviting documentary—one where the narrator speaks warmly and directly to us. We are encouraged to approach Kandisnky’s peculiar art with an open mind. “He has enchanted millions of people,” we are told: “His work can open your innermost eye.”
One might not turn into a Kandinsky enthusiast by the film’s end, but a level of respect will likely form for one of the world’s great modernist painters.
Born in 1866 to well-do-parents, Kandinsky’s precocious childhood in Moscow was filled with a variety of activities, from music to painting. His privileged early life gave him the chance to cultivate many artistic skills and interests—ones that he would end up dedicating himself to years later.
Just as crucial to his upbringing was his environment. The “bright, brillant, dazzling” colors of his surrounding architecture affected his mind with a kind of wonder. So, too, did the country’s rich history of folklore, biblical stories, and myths.
In school, Kandinsky was a bright and capable student, a trend which lasted throughout his education career, including his time in graduate school. Indeed, he was offered a teacher position at a university.
Around Kandinsky’s 30th birthday, however, he changed paths. As is true for virtually all of us, various interests vie for our limited time and attention, forcing us to choose between one trajectory and another. In the end, Kandinsky put aside an academic career and instead turned to art.
One of the major catalysts for the transition was seeing Monet’s Haystacks at an exhibition; it was essentially a life-changing moment for Kandinsky. A similarly profound experience came at a viewing of Wagner’s opera, Lohengrin. Given the power of the German composer’s music, along with Kandinsky’s synesthesia, it’s no wonder he was enthralled.
Eager to begin his artistic journey, Kandinsky headed to Munich in 1896. For the next decade and a half, his life was immersed in creative exploration. He and wife, Ana, left Russia for Munich (a decision which brought her no elation; nor did her husband’s years-long romantic relationship with fellow painter, Gabriele Münter).
In these early stages of Kandinski’s career, he experimented with a variety of styles. The pure abstract paintings for which he’s best known today didn’t come about until later in his trajectory.
In a Colorful Life (1907), for example, “[Viewers] can still clearly recognize the world of material objects.” Gradually, however, he “discarded” recognizable objects and produced works where “only an inner feeling radiates from the canvas.”
It was a profoundly new and unconventional style: one that didn’t exactly spawn widespread enthusiasm. One gallery owner apparently had “to dry off [Kandisnky’s] paintings daily, because of the many visitors who would spit on them.”
Despite the liquid rebuffs, Kandinsky was making valuable insights into the kind of work he wanted to create. He was also exploring his artistic sensibilities via writing, teaching, and valuable connections with other artists.
In 1911, he and fellow painter Franz Marc founded a group called The Blue Rider (Der Blaue Reiter). It was an effort to bring together a group of artists that were interested in breaking out from traditional painting.
Unfortunately, when World War I erupted, it spelled the end of the group. Kandinsky returned to his native country. (Franz Marc, sadly, died fighting in the war.)
When Kandinsky returned to Germany, in 1922, he taught at the highly influential Bauhaus school, founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius. He was knee-deep in a highly creative environment, a milieu perfectly suited for a mind as active and searching as Kandinsky’s.
Once again, however, world changing forces put an end to that. When Hitler came to power in the early 1930s, Bauhaus subsequently came to an end, as did Kandinsky’s time in Germany.
Ultimately, the final years of Kandinsky’s life were spent in Neuilly-sur-Seine, just outside of Paris. He was far away from his native country, which had been so influential in his life. But any location could spur his creative justices, and Paris was no exception. It was there that he created his final works, ones that were different not only from his earliest paintings, but even those from his middle period. The narrator describes them as “a kind of organic mass, perhaps intended to symbolize the entire universe.”
Perhaps so. But in the spirit of the film, viewers should decide for themselves what the great Wassily Kandinsky was seeking to convey.
Spectatio 