Remembering Your Roots

Does art have a shape?

The abstract painter Wassily Kandinsky thought so. In his book Concerning the Spiritual in Art he describes the relationship of different art forms as a pyramid. This was one concept of many that I learned throughout my MFA research. The idea that a painting could draw from music in order to reveal new techniques is inspiring. This kind of asynchronous knowledge sharing speaks to the collaborative nature of art. It also reflects my own career choices. Today, I spend most of my time programming, but fifteen years ago that focus was on designing. I too have borrowed from different crafts.

Despite moving away from traditional graphic design, I look out for opportunities to exercise my design muscles. The poster above is a result of an opportunity Kandinsky presents in his writing. This poster visualizes Kandinsky's pyramid. The vertical space is time where the bottom of the page is the past and the apex of the pyramid is approaching our present. Splayed out are different visual forms of art: painting, sculpture, photography, etc.. And little white arrows represent artists, striving for new artistic discoveries. Thirty-six of these artists I cite in my thesis and also plot on this poster.

This limited edition legal-size print of 100 is available in my Shop for $50:

Here is to remembering your roots,

—Jono