Saturday 18 March 2017

I Want Kandinsky

Bubbles: Music for Pleasure (1977)

Kandinsky: Composition VIII (1923)
Kandinsky: Transverse Lines (1923)
Barney Bubbles, the man who put the pictures in picture sleeves, drew his influences from far and wide; and long ago. His sleeve for Generation X's 1977 debut single stretched way back to 1924.

Likewise, when he was commissioned to design the sleeve for the Damned's difficult second album, Music for Pleasure, again from '77, Bubbles retreated back to the jazz age. Here are three terrific pieces by Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) that Bubbles must have had on his mind when he took the gig.

I love Kandinsky. I want his stuff hanging on every wall in my new house*. Anyone got the Guggenheim's number?

* Footnote: whilst writing this post earlier this morning, I blagged a (very reasonably priced) Kandinsky copy.
Kandinsky: Black and Violet (1923)

4 comments:

  1. Fantastic images, all of them - they look great together here on your blog page. And what a great bargain you've got for yourself, lovely....
    I was also pointed in the direction of Russian artist Malevich re. BB's influences - not sure if you saw them in my old post, but you can definitely see the similarity there too. I love to see how artistic approaches resurface years later in different forms.

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    1. I did read it C, thank you. The Ruskies have got a lot to answer for.

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  2. love Kandinsky...even the early years.

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  3. A very influential fella, that's for sure.

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