“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.
Inspirations Behind Claude Debussy’s Nocturnes Called by one critic ‘America’s first great master of the night’, James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903) started his series of night views with paintings of the River Thames around 1870. He used the word ‘nocturne’ to
Inspirations Behind Maurice Delage’s Les demoiselles d’Avignon Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) shocked the art world with his 1907 painting, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. Some of its shock value may be realized by its original title: The Brothel of Avignon. Another part of
Carl Vollrath: Pollock’s Pictures As a painter, Jackson Pollock (1912–1956) broke all the rules. He pushed abstract expressionism to dizzying heights. Enjoying both fame and notoriety during his lifetime, his works continue to challenge us to see how he did,
Charles Koechlin: Paysages et marines, Op. 63 When French artist Henri Rivière (1864–1951) designed his first set of lithographs, it was for a very specific audience. The 16 pictures that formed Les aspects de la nature (Aspects of Nature) were
Michael Daugherty: Brooklyn Bridge American composer Michael Daugherty was inspired by one of the great constructions of New York City to create his work for clarinet and orchestra. Brooklyn Bridge (2005) is a musical view of the bridge from the
Stephen Hartke: The King of the Sun American composer Stephen Hartke (b. 1952) was commissioned by Chamber Music America for a work for the Los Angeles Piano Quartet. Written in 1988, his piece The King of the Sun is based
Inspirations Behind Philip Sawyers’ Hommage to Kandinsky The Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) was one of the founders of abstraction in western art and is also considered one of the most musical of the modern painters. He equated painting with
Virko Baley: Sculptured Birds For his work for clarinet and piano, Sculptured Birds, Ukrainian-American composer Virko Baley (b 1938) chose four modern artists for his four movements, beginning in 1978 and continuing in 1982 through 1984. The Sculptured Birds suite
