Wassily Kandinsky was a Russian artist whose vibrant, abstract paintings are credited with paving the way for Non-Objective Art. In an effort to step outside pictorial tradition, Kandinsky often described color as sound, with several of his most famous works titled using musical terminology, including Improvisation 28 (1912) and Composition VII (1913). “Color directly influences the soul. Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammers, the soul is the piano with many strings,” he wrote in his book Concerning the Spiritual in Art (1911). Born on December 4, 1866 in Moscow, Russia, as a child he studied music and drawing, but chose a career in law as a young man. It was not until 1896 at the age of 30 that Kandinsky moved to Munich...