There is no must in art because art is free.
Interpretation
Art exists without constraints or obligations; it is an expression of freedom.
Wassily Kandinsky's quote reflects the essence of artistic expression, asserting that true art is born from freedom rather than obligation. The phrase emphasizes that in the realm of creativity, there are no stringent rules or 'musts'; instead, artists are encouraged to explore and express their individuality without being confined by societal expectations or traditional norms.
In practice
During an art exhibition, one could inspire the audience by saying, 'As Kandinsky reminds us, there is no must in art because art is free, so let your true creativity shine.'
The true work of art is born from the 'artist': a mysterious, enigmatic, and mystical creation. It detaches itself from him, it acquires an autonomous life, becomes a personality, an independent subject, animated with a spiritual breath, the living subject of a real existence of being.
The artist must have something to say, for mastery over form is not his goal but rather the adapting of form to its inner meaning.
With cold eyes and indifferent mind the spectators regard the work. Connoissers admire the "skill" (as one admires a tightrope walker), enjoy the "quality of painting" (as one enjoys a pasty). But hungry souls go hungry away. The vulgar herd stroll through the rooms and pronounce the pictures "nice" or "splendid." Those who could speak have said nothing, those who could hear have heard nothing.
The sound of colors is so definite that it would be hard to find anyone who would express bright yellow with bass notes or dark lake with treble.
The more abstract is form, the more clear and direct its appeal.
All methods are sacred if they are internally necessary. All methods are sins if they are not justified by internal necessity.
When I write plays, I'm already seeing the shapes on stage, of the actors and their interaction, and so on and so forth. I don't think I've ever written one play as an abstract piece, as a literary piece, floating in the air somewhere, to be flushed out later on.
All the pictures I could never do, I'll do it in comics. All the comics I do are the pictures I could never do.
Right now a moment of time is fleeting by! Capture its reality in paint! To do that we must put all else out of our minds. We must become that moment, make ourselves a sensitive recording plate...Give the image of what we actually see, forgetting everything that has been seen before our time.
I've written some great things. That's a gift, but there's consequences. Yeah, you get this great work, but you suffer. You really, really suffer.
To end up with a canvas that is no less beautiful than the empty canvas is to begin with.
I got out of the Army - in my world - I came to New York, for instance, when the civil rights movement was just beginning, and that created a certain energy, a certain rumble, a certain impetus for black actors.
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