Inspirations Behind Daníel Bjarnason’s Over Light Earth Two mid-20th-century abstract impressionist paintings were the source of inspiration for Icelandic composer Daníel Bjarnason. Mark Rothko’s 1954 painting No. 9 (Dark over Light Earth/Violet and Yellow in Rose) and Jackson Pollock’s groundbreaking

Paintings that Inspired William Popp’s ‘The Galleries’ Suite Composer William Popp (b. 1950) puts together his own gallery of art in The Galleries. Looking at one 16th-century and three 19th-century paintings held in museums in London, Madrid, Washington, DC, and

The medium of the Prelude has been used by composers for a number of different vehicles. At first, they were literally the music that came before, i.e., preceded another piece. The first one dates from 1448. Then, they were used

Diving into the world of Andy Warhol is like stepping into a dazzling electric dream, where soup cans become icons and every face is a superstar. His art, with its bold colours and cheeky repetitions, turned the mundane into magic.

Inspirations Behind Byron Adams’ Midsummer Music American artist Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851–1938), working at the turn of the 20th century, was known for his figure paintings of American women. Focusing on the aristocratic women, he evoked a dream-like world for

Inspirations Behind Judith Weir’s Heroic Strokes of the Bow Many of Paul Klee’s paintings have made it into music, especially his Twittering Machine. Composers have written their own twittering machine music for symphony orchestra, flute and computer, String quartet, guitar

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