Museum Description: The theme I have chosen for my museum is “rhythm and music”. I chose this theme because I believe that music can be portrayed by art, and art can be portrayed by music. This is important to me because music is something that is really important and prominent in my life. Even though my talents lie elsewhere when it comes to anything musical, I have grown to really appreciate it and love all kinds of music. The type of artwork I will include are, historical art that relates to music, art that expresses love and music together, and instrumental art.
Impact Statement: Something that I hope my visitors will take away from my museum would be to have more of an appreciation for music and understanding the differences between different cultures and time periods and the musicality behind it. I want people to see the connection between art and music.
Music and Art in the Early 20th Century
In this room my main focus is artwork that was made in the 20th century (1900-1999) and how these artists portrayed music and how they incorporated it into their art work. These pieces are all pretty different in the styles and themes and were created all around the world. However, they were made in a similar time period and have some things in common. The main thing being that they all relate to music in some way. The colors, structure, and other things are different, but the actual themes themselves are similar.
- Pablo Picasso, The Three Musicians, 1921
- Jaime Colson, Merengue, 1938
- Abraham Walkowitz, Music, 1907
- Georges Braque, Musical Instruments, 1903
Pablo Picasso, The Three Musicians, 1921
I chose this picture because it shows three friends making music together. I like that it shows the connection between the three of them and their love for music, even though it's abstract and has unique shapes. When analyzing (form) in this image, one thing that stands out to me is the use of lines. This image is somewhat abstract, with the random lines and shapes making up people. The lines are very square and geometric. Even the clothing that the musicians are wearing are patterned with lines going in different directions. The lines are pretty smooth and all different thickness and size. The use of lines takes up most of the space in the image. The musicians take up almost all of the space, with the lines that have been used to create them as well.
Jaime Colson, Merengue, 1938
This piece of art fits my overall theme because people are dancing and celebrating to the music that is being played. There are a lot of points to the painting, but all the people are surrounded by the music. This piece was made in Santo Domingo and has some Spanish themes and style to it. One thing that I would like to point out is the use of color in this painting. This piece is obviously very colorful and vibrant. A couple of the people are dressed in white, and others are in pretty light colors. I think this contributes to the overall mood of the piece. The bright colors help the viewer understand that this is a positive scene and people are happy and celebrating.
Abraham Walkowitz, Music, 1907
This simple drawing that was sketched using charcoal shows a conductor leading his orchestra. The conductor is the main focal point of the image, and we can tell by his positioning compared to everything else in the image. He is the largest, most detailed object in the piece, and it's clear that he is what we are supposed to be paying the most attention to. Another thing that stands out to me is that the instruments are a lot more detailed than the people playing them. I think the artist wanted to make sure we saw what he was conducting and not necessarily who he was conducting.
Georges Braque, Musical Instruments, 1903
Even though this painting doesn't have any people actually in it, it's implied that someone is playing the instruments. This piece was made using oil paint in France. One thing that stands out is the use of color to make shadows. In some areas the artist used color to make a shadow appear. This makes the painting look more realistic. The main parts where we see the shadow is the left end of the sheet music, and below the trumpet that is underneath the top instrument.
Women with Musical Talent
In this room I have picked out specific pieces that have to do with women specifically being involved with the music. Whether it's by themselves, with other people, performing, or just getting a lesson. This theme and the pieces I chose show that in many different time periods, there are always some kind of portrayal with women and music.
- Laurent de La Hyre, Allegory of Music, 1649
- Marc Chagall, Musicians, 1979
- Raja Ravi Varma, A Galaxy of Musicians, 1889
- Gerard Terborch, The Music Lesson, 1670
Laurent de La Hyre, Allegory of Music, 1649
This artwork shows a young woman studying and learning the theorbo. This piece makes you ask questions. Does the women in the painting enjoy playing music? Is it a passion or a requirement? How long has she been playing for? I personally feel that she has a pretty good understanding of playing the theorbo. The reason why I saw this is because she knows how to tune the instrument, and that's not something that everyone knows how to do. Something with the form of the painting that I noticed was how realistic it looked. By using specific colors, shapes, and sizes, it created shadows and contrast that make the image look so real.
Marc Chagall, Musicians, 1979
I absolutely love this painting. Once I saw it, I knew it needed to be in my museum. The texture of this painting makes it so it is difficult to tell exactly what is going on. The two main females are really the only things that you can make out in this painting. There are smaller people floating around the painting, maybe they are children, or dolls? The one woman looks like she is playing the violin, and the smaller person with the green skin is playing what looks like a flute. For the most part, this artist used a darker color palette, with random bursts of brighter colors, making certain things stand out more.
Raja Ravi Varma, A Galaxy of Musicians, 1889
This oil painting shows 11 Indian women who are in the middle of a performance. Not all 11 women are playing instruments. Some are maybe just listening, or singing. One thing with the form is the balance of this piece. Everything looks pretty symmetrical, the actual sizes of the women and what they are holding is all the same for the most part. The main things that differentiate each woman is the clothing and colors used. The overall color pallet is pretty dark, especially in the background. There are certain stand out colors like: red, orange, and yellow. Those bright colors draw the viewer in closer to the individual girls.
Gerard Terborch, The Music Lesson, 1670
This piece shows a young woman receiving a music lesson from her teacher. Something that stands out in this image is the contrast with colors. The background, and teacher are really dark tones, so dark that it makes it hard to even see them. The background and teacher add a mysteriousness to the painting. And then right in front of the woman getting her lesson. She is wearing a bright yellow/gold dress and is practically glowing. I think the reason why this was done, is to show that the girl is the main focal point of this painting.
Music and Still Life
Music can be very calming and simple, and so can still life art. Still life really shows the simplicity in things, but also the beauty. Music can be all sorts of things, but also can be beautiful. Both still life and music can capture moments. They can create some kind of emotional response. All the pieces in this room are still life artwork that somehow incorporates music.
- Paul Gauguin, Bouquet of Peonies on a Musical Score, 1876
- Georges Braque, Still Life with Music Scroll, 1937
- Juan Gris, Guitar and Music Paper, 1926
- William Michael Harnett, Violin and Music, 1888
Paul Gauguin, Bouquet of Peonies on a Musical Score, 1876
This oil painting is a colorful, vibrant piece with pink and white peonies placed in a dark blue vase sitting on top of a piece of sheet music. One type of form that sticks out to me is the composition. It is really balanced with the difference in colors, but the dark blue vase contrasts the pink and white flowers. The sheet music shows the simplicity of the music in connection with the flowers. This beautiful piece is simple, yet really elegant and shows the simplicity of still life with a connection of music.
Georges Braque, Still Life with Music Scroll, 1937
In this still life piece, it is a little less simple, and a lot more abstract then the typical still life piece. This genre is still life, but the actual style of painting is cubism. One thing that stands out is the use of lines. The abstract designs use lines to create other shapes and create a more abstract feel. The lines add a pattern in the background and the table. This painting shows a guitar sitting on a table with fruit and other food.
Juan Gris, Guitar and Music Paper, 1926
In my opinion, this image is a combination of the other two paintings I chose for this room. It's very simple and really easy to tell what's going on, but it also has an abstract feel. The texture in the background blends the colors together. The colors are really dark, with a pop of orange on the table cloth. The lines used and shapes made create a unique feel to the overall painting.
William Michael Harnett, Violin and Music, 1888
What I find the most interesting about this painting is how realistic it looks. Right away as a viewer you ask yourself whether the image is real or not. The use of colors and shapes make the painting so realistic and the opposite of abstract. The main form that was used is the use of shadows. The shadow behind the violin, again adds a real feel to the image. This is another example of still life being used in relation to music. This piece is considered still life because its a simple, realistic, and shows a simple part of life.
I want people who view my museum to have a better understanding of the connections art has with everything. Music is just one example of something being portrayed in art. I hope my viewers learned somethings about the connections and similarities between music and art. I hope people who are interested in music or art, now have more of a appreciation in the opposite that maybe they didn't have before. Thank you for viewing my museum!
Credits:
Created with an image by photology1971 - "Low angle view of an open musical score"