Born in Moscow in 1866 to Russian mother, Mongolian grandmother, and Serbian father. Studied law and economics before discovering his passion for art. Began painting at age 30 after studying at Anton Azbi's school
Creativity was not a major philosophical topic until the nineteenth century. Plato and Aristotle explored creativity through divine inspiration and rational means. Kant defined artistic genius as innate capacity for original works
Basil Hallward refuses to exhibit Dorian Gray's portrait due to his own secret. He meets Dorian Gray at Lady Brandon's salon two months ago. Dorian Gray's mysterious personality terrifies Basil Hallward
Representation is using signs to stand in for and organize reality. Man is considered the "representational animal" for creating and manipulating signs. Representation extends from stone to novel representing Dubliners' lives
Ma (間) means 'gap, space, pause' in Japanese. Character 間 derives from Chinese characters 門 (door) and 日 (sun). Originally written with "moon" radical (月) instead of "sun"
Painted in 1923, ten years after Composition VII. First painting purchased by Solomon R. Guggenheim. Reflects influence of Suprematism and Constructivism