Why did kandinsky make the abstract white zigzag?
Kandinsky became increasingly interested in the theory that colour, form, shape and line had particular emotional meaning and could be used to communicate this directly to the viewer, a visual language that was in some ways similar to music. Therefore a white zigzag would “mean” something very different to a blue wave. One of the influences on this line of thought was the Spiritualists and their notion of the “auras” that were supposed to surround people and would change shape and colour according to temperament and mood. Another was an idea that was current at the time; that there was a direct correlation between music and painting.
