“Suggest a few books or exhibition catalogs that go deep into how these artists talked about their process of building inner worlds”
Perfect — I’ll pull together a focused, high-impact list of books and exhibition catalogs that go deep into how these artists thought about creating new inner worlds —
not in a dry, academic way, but in a way that really feeds your process and imagination.
Here’s the list, carefully curated for where you are right now:
Recommended Books & Catalogs on Artists Who Built Inner Worlds
1. “Concerning the Spiritual in Art” by Wassily Kandinsky
A foundational text for anyone entering abstraction seriously.
Kandinsky explains how color, form, and rhythm act directly on the soul, beyond depiction.
Very short (like a long essay), but packed with spiritual, emotional, and artistic philosophy.
Why you should read it now: It will help you trust feeling and intuition as legitimate primary forces in painting.
2. “Mark Rothko: From the Inside Out” by Christopher Rothko (his son)
Deep, heartfelt look into what Rothko was actually trying to do — not just make color fields, but generate emotional spaces where viewers could experience profound interior states.
Combines analysis, philosophy, and personal insight.
Why you should read it now: Rothko’s journey from semi-figurative work into pure emotional abstraction mirrors the stage you’re in.
3. “Joan Mitchell: Lady Painter” by Patricia Albers
Biography and artistic exploration of Joan Mitchell’s life and work.
Details how she moved from landscape inspiration into explosive, purely emotional canvases based on memory, movement, energy.
Why you should read it now: It will show you how memory can be more powerful than direct observation — and how to keep intensity in abstraction.
4. “Cy Twombly: Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings, Vol. 1” (if you want images)
Gorgeous reproductions of Twombly’s early works.
Shows how he layered writing, scratching, myth, and memory into visual experiences.
There are also essays on how he built “dream-memory spaces” through mark-making.
Why you should explore it now: Twombly trusted that gesture alone could contain history, desire, myth — exactly the kind of freedom you’re touching.
5. “Anselm Kiefer: Heaven and Earth” by Michael Auping
Beautifully written exhibition catalog about Kiefer’s work between 1969–2005.
Shows how Kiefer merged ruined materials and spiritual longing into vast, devastating inner landscapes.
Why you should explore it now: If you’re thinking about memory, loss, erosion, or layered time in your studies, Kiefer’s approach will spark huge ideas.
6. “Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future” (Guggenheim catalog)
Fascinating look at one of the first true spiritual abstractionists, decades before she was understood.
She believed her work was building blueprints for new human consciousness.
Why you should explore it now: Shows how inner necessity — not external acceptance — can drive a lifetime of work.
Optional Bonus (for pure mindset inspiration):
“Letters to a Young Poet” by Rainer Maria Rilke_
Not about painting, but about becoming an artist in the deepest, truest sense.
Why you should read it now: It will help you cultivate faith in your own inner world, even when no one else yet sees it.
Summary for You (if you want a shorter focus first):
Start with Kandinsky’s Concerning the Spiritual in Art (short, powerful).
Then move to Mark Rothko: From the Inside Out (emotional architecture).
Then Joan Mitchell: Lady Painter (living through memory and gesture).
If you’d like
, I could also suggest a
viewing list
(key paintings to really study — Rothko’s Chapel works, Mitchell’s “La Grande Vallée,” Kiefer’s “Book with Wings,” etc.) to visually reinforce the ideas.
Would you like me to quickly build that too?
It would be like having a mini visual museum tour directed for your exact path right now.
Could be very powerful alongside the reading!