The Bride 1903

Wassily Kandinsky made "The Bride" using gouache, watercolor, and crayon, likely in the first decade of the 20th century. We see a woman in traditional Russian bridal dress, with a long veil, seated in a meadow. A Russian Orthodox church stands in the background. This image relates to the revival of interest in Russian folk culture at the turn of the century. Kandinsky was involved in many artistic movements, including Der Blaue Reiter, that sought a spiritual and expressive art, beyond academic convention. But, crucially, his interest in folk culture and the image of the bride cannot be separated from the rising tide of nationalism in Russia at this time. Was he drawing on folk culture to explore the nature of Russian identity, or appropriating it for a more personal symbolism? The historian addresses these questions by exploring the artist's relationship to folk culture, his location within Russian society, and the institutional forces that shaped his patronage. The meaning of art is always contingent on social and institutional context.