Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) shaped the development of modern painting like few others. His life, straddling East and West amidst the turmoil of revolutions and world wars, was one of extremes. His art also navigated between various poles: abstraction and figuration, order and chaos, intuition and rationality, science and religion. While he was a pioneer of modernity, he also aimed to connect with history and tradition. In this volume, Matthias Haldemann provides a concise and illuminating overview of Kandinsky's life, his famous writings, and especially his multifaceted artistic work.