Kandinsky, Camus, and Disconnection

Albert Camus’s The Stranger is a fictionalized analogy of absurdism as told through the narrative of the disinterested Meursault, the personification of absurdist philosophy. Weiches Hart is a painting by renowned Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky, who is credited with pioneering the abstract art movement. Although the two works may initially appear disparate, after more attentive consideration one can discern a significant commonality between Weiches Hart and The Stranger: the theme of dissociation.

Weiches Hart has two distinct components: the dark, ominous pillar to the left of the painting and the amalgam of warm-toned geometric shapes to the pillar’s right. The segregation of the painting’s key components is strikingly discordant. Time and time again, Meursault has also demonstrated a peculiar disconnect: a disunity between his faculties of empathy and socialization. For example, as Meursault realizes he does not know the precise day his mother passed away, he off-handedly comments “that doesn’t mean anything.” Meursault’s indifference is further evidenced by his interactions with Marie, his lover. When Marie asked Meursault if he loved her, he plainly responds with “it didn't mean anything but that [he] didn't think so.”

While the two pieces explore a shared theme, each work’s respective creators chose to illustrate the topic of severance through different means: Kandinsky with visual representations, and Camus with Meursault’s relationships. Kandinsky’s varied use of color and outlines to differentiate the two halves of his painting is both aesthetically pleasing and effective. The dark, cool-toned hues of the connected shapes of the left starkly contrast with the playful, warm-toned hues denoting the fusion of geometric shapes of the right. Camus depicts Meursault’s detachment through his lack of concern for his family, friends, and significant others. Meursault’s inability to form emotional connections is a distinctive part of his personality and has come to characterize absurdist notions.