Wassily Kandinsky was born on December 16,1866 in Russia.  While a child, he took music and art lessons.  These lessons played a very influential role in the artist's work.  At the age of 30, Kandinsky became a professional artist.  He gave up his job as a lawyer and went to Germany to study art.

Kandinsky became the first artist to move completely away from realism in his paintings.  He painted the first abstract paintings - paintings that were pure designs.  He believed that colors and forms had meanings all their own.  Kandinsky's love of music influenced how he painted.  He thought of colors as music.  Kandinsky

thoughtof his simple paintings as little melodies and his large complex paintings as symphonies.  He thought of his paintings as "Improvisations", meaning a song made up on the spot, not planned ahead of time.  Kandinsky painted what he felt at the time.  He did not plan out his paintings.  He let his feelings and emotions tell him what to paint and how to paint.

Wassily Kandinsky died on December 13, 1944 at the age of 78.