“Art is not an end in itself, but a means of addressing humanity.”
Modest Mussorgsky
As philosopher Richard Wollheim says, art is “one of the most elusive of the traditional problems of human culture.” In its simplest manifestation, art is a form of communication that serves as a vehicle for the expression of emotions and ideas. As ideas and beliefs are culturally specific and constantly changing over time, there really is no generally agreed definition of what constitutes art. That being said, the classical branches of the visual arts are identified as painting, sculpture and architecture. Literature and poetry are considered part of the humanities or as one of the arts, while music, alongside theatre, film and dance belong to the performing arts. In this section you will discover not only specific explorations of individual art forms, but also a more detailed probing of the relationship between the visual arts and music, including painting and music, sculpture and music and architecture and music. Originally, poetry and music were treated as a unity, but gradually they have become more independent. Nevertheless, the two art forms have never forgotten their shared genetic makeup, and been intertwined for millennia. Art and music have engaged in a dynamic relationship that reveals a diverse range of human activity intended to be appreciated for their beauty.
Helen Grime’s Night Songs Inspired by Joseph Cornell The American artist and filmmaker Joseph Cornell (1903–1972) was best known for his assemblages. Using found objects, he created shadow boxes, deep boxes with glass fronts, in which he made arrangements of
Inspirations Behind Stuart Greenbaum’s Mondrian Interiors The Dutch painter Piet Mondrian (1872–1944) was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. As a pioneer in abstract art, he made the important move from figurative painting through an increasingly
Inspirations Behind George Antheil’s McKonkey’s Ferry The American Revolution (1765–1783) started as an ideological and political movement until it became a full-blown war against the British. The war started on 19 April 1775 in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, with
Inspirations Behind Aaron Jay Kernis’s Invisible Mosaic Series A mosaic uses small pieces of glass, coloured stone, or ceramic to create a larger pattern or image. First found in Mesopotamia in 3000BC, they spread through the world and can be
Erster Verlust First Loss Ach wer bringt die schönen Tage, Ah, who can bring back the beautiful days, Jene Tage der ersten Liebe, Those days of first love, Ach wer bringt nur eine Stunde Ah, who can bring back even
Inspirations Behind Simon Holt’s Tauromaquia The Spanish artist Francisco Goya created a series of 33 prints on the theme of bullfighting, La Tauromaquia, and published them in 1816. He was in the middle of working on his series The Disasters
Inspirations Behind John Luther Adams’ The Immeasurable Space of Tones Latvian-American artist Mark Rothko (1903–1970) is best known for his colour field paintings. Colour field was a purely abstract form of expressionism where, unlike abstract expressionism, all references (emotional, mythic,
Inspirations Behind Morton Gould’s Burchfield Gallery The American artist, Charles E. Burchfield (1893–1967), was a watercolour painter with a unique vision, described as both romantic and fantastic. After graduating from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1916, he found his