Abstract Painter Wassily Kandinsky Honored With Google Doodle For His 148th Birthday: Visual Genius Joins Esteemed List Of Artists To Be Honored By Site

Tags: Wassily Kandinsky; Google Doodle

BY jakewriter Dec 16, 2014 11:30 PM EST

Google Doodle Wassily Kandinsky. December 16^th was Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky and Google honored the artist with a doodle: "Today, our homepage around the world marks the 148th birthday of influential Russian painter Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky. Kandinsky is credited with painting the first purely abstract work of art, " read Google's homepage.

Known as the first abstract painter and printmaker, Kandinsky has made history in 20^th century art. Born in Moscow during the Russian Empire's existence, the painter died in France at 77. Here are some more trivia about the prominent artist:

Kandinsky was 30 when he began pursuing art. He left his studies in economics and law to learn painting in Germany.
As you would have guessed, Kandisky was just average in his studies. He joined the Munich Academy after studying with Anton Azbe.
He was a rare individual who saw music and art as two parts of the whole, which he explained as "Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul."
The Russian artist was an admirer of Monet's Haystacks. Monet's lily pads and haystacks have been adored by artists and admirers alike. Kandinsky was quoted as describing Monet's work in the following manner: "That it was a haystack the catalogue informed me. I could not recognize it. This non-recognition was painful to me. I considered that the painter had no right to paint indistinctly. I dully felt that the object of the painting was missing. And I noticed with surprise and confusion that the picture not only gripped me, but impressed itself ineradicably on my memory. Painting took on a fairy-tale power and splendor," Huffington Post reports.
The artist suffered from synesthesia, a condition referred to as creating sense impressions when other senses are stimulated. As a result, Kandinsky would see colors while listening to music.