BEELDEN IN VEELVOUD
BEELDEN IN VEELVOUD BEELDEN IN VEELVOUD
Kandinsky's completion of Leonardo's Deluge PAUL VAN DEN AKKER It would seem that storrns raged as furiously in the art of the early twentieth century as they did in that of the early sixteenth. Storms, the Deluge and the Last Judgemcnt were the central rhemes that inspired Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944)to niake his fitst altnost completely abstract paintings, a development that occurred herween 1910 and 1913. Four centuries earlier the same themes had been depictcd by his famous predeccssor Leonardo da Vind (1452-1519) in an equally fascinating series of drawings. It is assumed that these were also produccd during the first years of the second decade of a century.1 Yet iconography and date are nor the only similarities between the deluges of both artists. There is also a striking visual resemblance (figs. i and 2). At first sight abstract patterns seem to prcvail over rccognizable, narradve motifs. Upon closer inspection, however, out of the chaos of forms-and of colours too, in Kandinsky's case —weseeanumber of figurative clements cmerging. The question is whether Kandinsky could have seen Leonardo's drawings, which had already belonged to the Windsor collection for a very long time. During the period around 1900-13 the drawings were ncvcr cxhibitcd outside England and Kandinksy never visited this country. As a matter of fact it seems unlikely that Kandinksy, who was famous for his non-figurativc art, drew inspiration from Leonardo's work. Did nor the latter's figurative illusions belong to an art-historical period which in Kandinsky's time, wirh the rise of abstract art and not least with Kandinsky's own work, was assumed to have come co an end once and for all? Similarities in art are seldom coincidences. Even though it is unlikely that Kandinsky ever saw Leonardo's original drawings, hè must have known them, as we will see later, from reproducdons. And even though hè seldom mentions Leonardo's name in his writings, when hè does so, it is positively. In Uber das Geïsüge in der Kunst (1912) hè called him 'der grosse, viclscitigc Meister' and his admiration for Leonardo fits in, as we will see, with the reevaluation of this artist that had been going on since the middle of the ninetcenth century.2 KANDINSKY S COMPLETION OF LEONARDO S DELUGE 453
454 Paul van den Akker
- Page 1 and 2: LEID S KUNSTHISTORISCH JAARBOEK BEE
- Page 3 and 4: Dcz.e uitgave is tot stand gekomen
- Page 5: 251 Al die cdclvrouwen en goudsmids
- Page 9 and 10: j. Wassily Kandinsky Deluge (smdy f
- Page 11 and 12: affio [sic], as an admirer and witn
- Page 13 and 14: 'Penetrating to the heart of nature
- Page 15 and 16: 4-Jean Paul Richter, 77j
- Page 17 and 18: 6. Wassily Kandinsky, Improvhatlon
- Page 19 and 20: ays break through. Kandinsky himscl
- Page 21 and 22: Tiere herab, da sie keinen andern P
Kandinsky's completion of<br />
Leonardo's Deluge<br />
PAUL VAN DEN AKKER<br />
It would seem that storrns raged as furiously in the art of the early twentieth<br />
century as they did in that of the early sixteenth. Storms, the Deluge<br />
and the Last Judgemcnt were the central rhemes that inspired Wassily<br />
Kandinsky (1866-1944)to niake his fitst altnost completely abstract paintings,<br />
a development that occurred herween 1910 and 1913. Four centuries<br />
earlier the same themes had been depictcd by his famous predeccssor<br />
Leonardo da Vind (1452-1519) in an equally fascinating series of drawings.<br />
It is assumed that these were also produccd during the first years of the second<br />
decade of a century.1 Yet iconography and date are nor the only similarities<br />
between the deluges of both artists. There is also a striking visual resemblance<br />
(figs. i and 2). At first sight abstract patterns seem to prcvail over<br />
rccognizable, narradve motifs. Upon closer inspection, however, out of the<br />
chaos of forms-and of colours too, in Kandinsky's case —weseeanumber<br />
of figurative clements cmerging.<br />
The question is whether Kandinsky could have seen Leonardo's drawings,<br />
which had already belonged to the Windsor collection for a very long time.<br />
During the period around 1900-13 the drawings were ncvcr cxhibitcd outside<br />
England and Kandinksy never visited this country. As a matter of fact<br />
it seems unlikely that Kandinksy, who was famous for his non-figurativc<br />
art, drew inspiration from Leonardo's work. Did nor the latter's figurative<br />
illusions belong to an art-historical period which in Kandinsky's time,<br />
wirh the rise of abstract art and not least with Kandinsky's own work, was<br />
assumed to have come co an end once and for all?<br />
Similarities in art are seldom coincidences. Even though it is unlikely that<br />
Kandinsky ever saw Leonardo's original drawings, hè must have known<br />
them, as we will see later, from reproducdons. And even though hè seldom<br />
mentions Leonardo's name in his writings, when hè does so, it is positively.<br />
In Uber das Geïsüge in der Kunst (1912) hè called him 'der grosse, viclscitigc<br />
Meister' and his admiration for Leonardo fits in, as we will see, with the<br />
reevaluation of this artist that had been going on since the middle of the<br />
ninetcenth century.2<br />
KAND<strong>IN</strong>SKY S COMPLETION OF LEONARDO S DELUGE 453
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