What if painting could speak to the soul like music does? In this groundbreaking classic, Wassily Kandinsky lays the foundation of abstract art by urging artists to look inward—to seek the invisible, spiritual truths behind visible reality. Writing at a time when art was changing forever, Kandinsky reveals how true art arises from inner necessity , not from imitating the material world. Kandinsky challenges artists and viewers alike to explore: How color and form carry emotional and spiritual weight - Why the artist must become a prophet , attuned to the soul’s voice - The dangers of decorative, empty art that lacks spiritual depth - The profound connection between painting and music - How to move beyond imitation and toward pure creative expression A manifesto, a meditation, and a philosophical call to arms, this short yet deeply influential text explains why art must evolve with the human spirit . Kandinsky critiques even greats like Matisse and Picasso—not for their talent, but for stopping short of full abstraction. His bold vision helped ignite a revolution in modern art. “Every artist must be blind to the outer and look only inside himself.” – Kandinsky Required reading for art students, creatives, and anyone seeking to understand the true purpose of art. Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) was a Russian painter, and art theorist. He is credited with painting the first modern abstract works. Born in Moscow, Kandinsky spent his childhood in Odessa. He enrolled at the University of Moscow and chose to study law and economics. Quite successful in his profession - he was offered a professorship (chair of Roman Law) at the University of Dorpat - he started painting studies (life-drawing, sketching and anatomy) at the age of 30. In 1896, he settled in Munich and studied first in the private school of Anton Ažbe and then at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich. He went back to Moscow in 1914, after World War I started. He was unsympathetic to the official theories on art in Moscow and returned to Germany in 1921. There, he taught at the Bauhaus school of art and architecture from 1922 until the Nazis closed it in 1933. He then moved to France where he lived the rest of his life, and became a French citizen in 1939. He died at Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1944. His great-grandson, Anton S. Kandinsky, is also a New York-based artist working in a style called 'Gemism'.