Moscow I by Wassili Kandinsky (or, The Psychophysics of Perception in Art)

Psychophysical considerations enter into the understanding of a work of art. The evolution of a psychophysical approach, which dates to the second half of nineteenth century at least, has moreover played a role in the flowering of the abstract movement at the beginning of the following century. The analysis of a painting by Wassily Kandinsky highlights some aesthetic and semiotic issues concerning perception. Bordering on iconicity, this painting makes it possible to grasp how abstraction, more than simply transcending protrayal, formed an organic concept of the field of perception. This concept was integrated into the thought, work and historical context of this artist, and the intensification of its dynamics and perceptive effects bears witness to their profound contribution to the meaning of the painting.