An impressive but lesser-known art book that captures the painter's fundamental interests in abstraction and the unity of the arts. Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) was a Russian pioneer of abstract painting whose work has influenced generations of artists. "Sounds" (Klänge) from 1912 is one of the most beautiful examples of 20th-century art books. His "sound poems" alternate between narration and expression, are witty and simple in form. They explore issues of space, color, natural design, and the act of viewing in a world that offers multiple and often contradictory possible versions. The woodcut illustrations accompanying the poems range from representational designs to abstract vignettes. In the composition of image and text, "Sounds" indulges in the artist's movement towards abstraction and his desire for a synthesis of the arts. This updated edition includes all the poems from the book in English and German, as well as its woodcut illustrations, twelve of which appear in color for greater fidelity to the original. The translator's introduction offers a detailed examination of the poems and places "Sounds" within the context of Kandinsky's work. Although appreciated by leading artists of the 20th century, "Sounds" remains one of the lesser-known of Kandinsky's major writings and this is the most authentic edition in English.