Sounds Like Kandinsky — Google Arts & Culture

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The artist who could see sound

Explore Vassily Kandinsky’s art with machine learning, augmented reality and more

Meet Kandinsky

8 things you need to know about the Father of Modern Art

Hang a Kandinsky

Bring a never-before-seen exhibition into your home with augmented reality or on the web

Listen to the Kandinsky Experts

An interview with Angela Lampe, lead curator at Centre Pompidou, on how Kandinsky became a modern master

Play a Kandinsky

Kandinsky's iconic masterpiece 'Yellow-Red-Blue' comes to life in sound thanks to machine learning

How will you explore?

Choose your adventure into Kandinsky's kaleidoscopic world

1

Discover the Art

Did you know Kandinsky created over 600 artworks?

2

Explore his Life

Find out what made him become an artist at 30

3

Learn about the Legacy

Discover why some of his work weren't discovered until 1984

4

Take the Pop Quiz!

Now you know the story, test your knowledge

"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."- Vassily Kandinsky

Kandinsky's rainbow

Explore over 2,800 artworks and photos by color

See all his artworks in one place

Listen to a color

Explore Kandinsky's color theories with Machine Learning

Watch

What is 'Play a Kandinsky'?

Machine Learning brings the music of Kandinsky to life

Experiment

Play a Kandinsky

Discover what a Kandinsky might sound like through today's music

What is synesthesia?

Discover more about Kandinsky's unique condition and how it influenced his art

Explore

What Is It Like to Hear Color?

Did you know that Kandinsky thought of trumpets when he saw yellow...

Explore

An Audio Journey Through Synesthesia

Hear a painting, see the sounds

Can you see the music?

Zoom in to see his brushstrokes, up close

Hang a Kandinsky in your living room

Project a masterpiece into your own home with your phone with augmented reality

Enter a brand new exhibition

Step inside a gallery of Kandinsky's painting on our app with augmented reality

Learn about the gallery

Get the Guided Tour of a Brand New AR Art Gallery

What you'll find in the Kandinsky Pocket Gallery

Try it yourself

Now Launch the Gallery for Yourself

Bring a never-before-seen exhibition into your home with augmented reality

Tune in to his technique

Explore how Kandinsky created his masterpieces

Medium

Kandinsky's Love Affair With Oil Paints

Discover how he adapted his favorite medium to his artistic evolution

Style

Back to Black

The importance and role of dark backgrounds in Kandinsky's work

Watch

How Kandinsky Thrilled The Soul

A closer look at "Picture With a Black Arch"

Keep exploring his art

Discover the foundations of his distinct abstract style

Explore

Becoming Kandinsky

A closer look at what made him stand out

How Kandinsky Saw A New Side of Shapes and Color

Discover how a young artist became a pioneer of abstract art

What Did He Do Before He Became a Painter?

His youth in Russia and his two defining artistic experiences

Back to Russia: Kandinsky During WWI

What happened when the artist had to leave Germany

Blue Rider: Kandinsky's Publishing Career

What a trendy art magazine looked like over 100 years ago

Travels, Young Love, Concerts, and Manifestos

An overview of Kandinsky's life as an artist

On the road

Travel in the footsteps of the wandering painter

Hop on Board

From Russia to France, by way of Germany

Where Did Kandinsky Live?

Explore the many homes that the painter lived in

"The artist must train not only his eye but also his soul."- Vassily Kandinsky

Meet the family

Snapshots of Kandinsky's personal life

Kandinsky and his son Vsevolod

Nina Kandinsky

Kandinsky and his uncle Alexander Silvestrovich Kandinsky

Anna Tchemiakina

Family Portrait

Kandinsky and his father

Nina Kandinsky

Kandinsky's famous friends

The friendships, collaborations, and rivalries at the heart of Kandinsky's life

With Marcel Duchamp and Katherine Dreier

With André Breton

With Paul Klee in Hendaye

With Mrs. Guggenheim, Hilla von Rebay, & Solomon R. Guggenheim

With Arnold Schönberg and his wife in Pörtschach

With Georg Muche and his wife

With Dimitri Kardovski

With Paul Klee in Guéthary

With Otto Freundlich

Kandinsky's day off

Explore photos of the artist's travels, hobbies, and friends

A man's best friend

Meet Daisy, Kandinsky's dog

Daisy laying down

Daisy on a country road

Daisy in a garden

Daisy sitting down

Daisy on a chair

Keep exploring his life

Discover what made him become an artist

Explore

Back to school

Learn more about Kandinsky's time teaching at the Bauhaus design school

Kandinsky in France

His Final Years in France

Why it was difficult for Kandinsky to break into the Parisian scene

Inside his studio

Get a glimpse into Kandinsky's studio on the Seine

Inside Kandinsky's Studio in Neuilly

A private visit to the place where the artist created his last masterpieces

View

Kandinsky's legacy

Interview

Bringing Kandinsky On Stage

An interview with world-renowned pianist Mikhaïl Rudy

His belongings

What Happened to Kandinsky's Belongings?

And find out why some of his artworks weren't discovered until 1984

Keep exploring his legacy

Discover how he impacted the art world through his teaching and legacy

Explore

A new resource for teachers

A lesson plan that can be used by teachers in class or by students learning about Kandinsky

ENGLISH

FRENCH

Which painting by Monet was a great inspiration to Kandinsky?

Haystacks

Haystacks, end of Summer (Claude Monet)

What does yellow sound like?

According to Kandinsky's color theory...

Trumpet

What was Kandinsky's job before he was a painter?

A lawyer

Portrait of Wassily Kandinsky (Anonymous)

Keep testing your knowledge...

More quizzes

Explore Centre Pompidou

The Centre Pompidou is an unmissable place for modern and contemporary art located in the heart of Paris. The Pompidou Center has quickly become one of the most visited cultural sites in the world and one of the most visited monuments in France.