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About this quote

What does it mean?
Words cannot fully explain the goals or essence of a work of art.
In plain terms
You can't use words to completely explain what art aims to do.
What can you take from it?
Art communicates beyond language.

Where it applies

  • art criticism
  • philosophy of art
  • personal analysis

Putting it to work

  • experience art directly
  • avoid over-explaining
  • trust intuition

Questions to consider

  • What does art say that words cannot?
  • Is it better to describe art or experience it?

Another view

Artists often use statements or titles to guide understanding.

More from Wassily Kandinsky

  1. I more or less dissolved the objects(in my improvisations) so that not all of them could be recognised at once,so that the spiritual overtones could be gradual…

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  2. I only want to paint good,necessary,living pictures,which are experienced properly by at least a few viewers.

    Permalink to quote #23
  3. Let the viewer stroll around within the picture,to force him to forget himself and so to become a part of the picture.

    Permalink to quote #20

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