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About this quote

What does it mean?
This quote repeats the musical metaphor for color to emphasize the relationship between painting and music.
In plain terms
Color is like keys on a piano for the soul, and eyes are the hammers that hit them.
What can you take from it?
Painting and music share a similar structure of influencing the soul.

Where it applies

  • teaching art history
  • comparing arts
  • design presentations

Putting it to work

  • use music analogies
  • explain color emotion
  • illustrate sensory overlap

Questions to consider

  • How does music influence the soul differently than color?
  • Is all art ultimately musical?

Another view

The metaphor is poetic but may oversimplify the complexity of visual perception.

More from Wassily Kandinsky

  1. I saw all my colours in spirit.Wild,almost mad lines drew themselves in front of me.(On seeing Wagner's Lohengrin)

    Permalink to quote #24
  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. As has been said...it is impossible to make clear the aims of a work of art by means of words.

    Permalink to quote #22

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