(Video link here.) In this calming, meditative video, artist Vasily Kandinsky paints directly on a wall in black ink, possibly during one of the Wall Painting Workshops he conducted at the Bauhaus in the 1920’s. We find watching the quiet creation of his design a fine way to start the day (and it led us to insights into ‘black’). Kandinsky’s designs for wall paintings also inspire us to view the walls of our space with new possibilities.

Vasily Kandinsky/Centre Pompidou, Paris
Vasily Kandinsky/Centre Pompidou, Paris

Vasily Kandinsky/Centre Pompidou, Paris
Vasily Kandinsky/Centre Pompidou, Paris

While following trails about Kandinsky’s black design, we came across this interesting reflection on BLACK that has opened our eyes to its primal roots:

Carbon black was the first black. This dull black is the easiest to manufacture because it is made of charcoal. Another black is vine black, which is traditionally made by charring desiccated grape vines and stems, which produce beautiful bluish blacks. Bone black, made of burnt bones from prehistoric times, is the deepest available black. Rembrandt used bone black for the black clothing worn by his sitters in order to distinguish them from the already dark night surroundings.

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