Wassily Kandinsky 
Concerning the Spiritual in Art [PDF ebook] 

Kandinsky sees the spiritual life of humanity as a pyramid. The artist must lead the layman to the top of this pyramid through the soulful exercise of art. Kandinsky differentiates between the superficial pleasure art inspires and the inner resonance created when art is considered attentively and allowed to touch the soul. The artist is allowed absolute freedom in order to express their soul’s art, but they must not abuse this freedom if they are not expressing a personal inner resonance. Once the artwork is complete, the mystic quality they have poured into it become independent of them and filled with a spiritual breath.