Sounds

by Wassily Kandinsky

Book Overview

Wassily Kandisnsky's Sounds (Kl nge), a volume of poems written and illustrated by the Russian artist and pioneer of abstract painting, was originally published in a limited edition in Munich in 1912. Although it was highly regarded by such artists as Hugo Ball and Jean Arp and acclaimed by the Zurich Dadaists, it remains one of the least known of Kandinsky's major writings. This is the first complete English translation of Kandinsky's text...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300026641
• ISBN13: 9780300026641
• Release Date: September 1981
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 136 Pages
• Weight: 0.59 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 7.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

A Rare and Wonderful Soundscape

There are and have been, of course, other poets who pay a heavy devotion to the aural aspects of their work in sacrifice of a literarily traceable constructed set of metaphor and message. Cummings comes immediately to mind. However, to my knowledge (and please write me if you can add any) there are none that create such a level of intrigue and pleasure so simply with such mundane tools. Here Kandinsky shows us the incredible wealth of metaphor and depth in the utterly everyday. To so deftly focus our interest on small phrases, a "hello," a "goodbye," is very difficult to achieve without appearing melodramatic and obvious. These are simple poems for thoughtful people. (As opposed, I suppose, to thoughtless poems for simpletons?)