The book "Steps" presents the theoretical and pedagogical works of Wassily Vasilyevich Kandinsky (1866-1944), the founder of abstract art. This publication is based on three texts that were crucial to the artist: "On the Spiritual in Art," "Point and Line on a Plane" (translated from German), and his book of prose poems, "Sounds" (translated from German). The publication also includes important pedagogical contributions by Kandinsky, who taught at the renowned VKHUTEMAS and INKhUK after the Revolution. Appendices at the end of the book expand our understanding of the context in which the artist worked.
This edition, prepared in this format for the first time, has historical, cultural, and scholarly significance. An introductory article explores the key facts of the artist's biography, and extensive commentary draws on contemporary materials about Kandinsky's life and work. A color insert presenting Kandinsky's works as an artist is included inside the book. Kandinsky developed the foundations of composition in modern art and the most important principles of color theory. Recognizing the supreme purpose of art throughout its progressive development and defining the artist's role as a prophet, Kandinsky proclaimed the beginning of the "Epoch of Great Spirituality." His reflections captured the spirit of the times and made a significant theoretical contribution to understanding art's shift away from "object-basedness."