The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky’s Abstract Art
Illustrated by Mary GrandPré, Written by Barb Rosenstock

Publisher’s Summary:
Vasya Kandinsky was a proper little boy: he studied math and history, he practiced the piano, he sat up straight and was perfectly polite. And when his family sent him to art classes, they expected him to paint pretty houses and flowers–like a proper artist.

But as Vasya opened his paint box and began mixing the reds, the yellows, the blues, he heard a strange sound–the swirling colors trilled like an orchestra tuning up for a symphony! And as he grew older, he continued to hear brilliant colors singing and see vibrant sounds dancing. But was Vasya brave enough to put aside his proper still lifes and portraits and paint . . . music?

In this exuberant celebration of creativity, Barb Rosenstock and Mary GrandPré tell the fascinating story of Vasily Kandinsky, one of the very first painters of abstract art. Throughout his life, Kandinsky experienced colors as sounds, and sounds as colors–and bold, groundbreaking works burst forth from his noisy paint box.

Primary Source Pairing:
The text ends with Vasily Kandinsky asking the question of his art “How does it make you feel?” The art created by Vasily Kandinsky involved many of his senses: sight, hearing, touch. In creating and in looking, Kandinsky believed art should make you feel. For this primary source pairing, use images of Kandinsky’s art. The image above is titled “Composition VIII.” Ask students to slowly look at the art using a variety of senses. Does the painting have a sound? A texture? A taste?

Provide a variety of printed images of Kandinsky’s artwork for this activity or invite students to access the art digitally at www.wassilykandinsky.net.

A photograph of Vasily Kandinsky is also included.

Questions for Discussion:

• Look closely at a painting created by Vasily Kandinsky.
  • What do you see?
  • What do you hear?
  • What do other senses can you use to examine this artwork?
  • How does it make you feel?
• Look closely at another Kandinsky painting.
  • What do you see?
  • What do you hear?
  • What do other senses can you use to examine this artwork?
  • How does it make you feel?
• How are the two paintings similar? How are they different?
• How was your experience similar or different when looking at the two paintings?

Credits:
Book Cover and Summary: Follett
Composition VIII Painting by Kandinsky: www.wassilykandinsky.net
Kandinsky photograph: Wikipedia

Additional Resource:
The Girl Who Heard Colors, Written by Marie Harris, Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton