Anyone who has seen the unrefined figurative works of Mark Rothko can easily understand why he later turned to his abstract Color Field works. Because of examples like this, there is always a suspicion that abstract art is merely the last refuge of the technically inept. Wassily Kandinsky — often seen as the first true abstract artist — however, proves this to be a misconception.
With 60 paintings from Munich's Lenbachhaus museum, half by Kandinsky and most of the rest by associates from the Blue Rider group, "Kandinsky and the Blue Rider" at the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum looks at the artist's early career. In the process, it reveals that he was a fast learner, an excellent figurative artist and probably just a little too wrapped up in himself.
But why did this talented artist take the abstract route? The answer seems to lie partly in his character. In the show's first section "1901-1907: A Time of Phalanx, a Time of Travel," a picture of a ruthless, strong-willed individual who often disregarded the society around him, starts to emerge.