Does Your Painting Have A Theme Song?

  This entry was originally posted on Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Grand Prismatic Pool

Yellowstone National Park

25x40"

 

Earlier this year I wrote a post suggesting that music should be listened to while painting. 

In the past few posts I have discussed the influence that music can have on your painting and the concept of synaesthesia.

Although Kandinsky painted music in an abstract form, the mood that music creates can affect more realistic paintings as well.

 

When thinking about your painting, perhaps choosing a theme song or genre of music will help you capture a mood easier.

 

For instance, in the painting of the Grand Prismatic Pool pictured above, I knew that I wanted an epic painting to portray how grand and epic Yellowstone National Park can be.

I was also painting a much larger painting than I usually do.

Knowing this, I purposely listened to epic music (Immediate Music). It is the kind that is played for movies and makes you feel like a superhero. I chose to listen to only this genre of music while painting it. 

I even listened to this music while thinking about it. 

I like to think it worked. 

 

A student recently told me she wants her paintings to feel like Michael Buble songs.

Was she listening to Michael Buble while she painted?

No. Not yet. 

But I have a feeling her paintings will have more of the feel of his music once she listens to him while painting.

Then her painting will have a theme song to be heard by those who see it.

Paint A Musical Composition

  This entry was originally posted on Saturday, September 29, 2012

Composition 8

By Wassily Kandinsky

Oil on canvas

1923

 

Wassily Kandinsky, a pioneer of non-objective and abstract art, was deeply influenced by the power of music. In fact, it was Wagner's music that convinced Kandinsky to devote his life to art. 

His description of Wagner's music is that "the violins, the deep tones of the basses, and especially the wind instruments at that time embodied for me all the power of that pre-nocturnal hour. I saw all my colors in my mind; they stood before my eyes. Wild, almost crazy lines were sketched in front of me. I did not dare use the expression that Wagner had painted 'my hour' musically."

 

It was then that Kandinsky realized that a painting could have powers equivalent to those of music.

Kandinsky spent most of his artistic life translating music into art.

These paintings went beyond just applying a color to a note or a sound.

These paintings became a musical score.

 

Before I knew the history of Kandinsky and his synaesthesia of music and visual art, 

I held the belief that well done abstracts were musical.

Perhaps there is something to that after all.

 

If you are an abstract artist or wish to venture into it, this might be an exercise for you to try.

 Figure out what color several notes in a musical composition would be to you,

then try to combine those notes into a painting. 

Consider things like would yellow have a higher pitch and purple be a deeper richer chord?
Listen to it with your eyes closed and see the colors in your mind's eye.
Where are they placed?
In front of you or off to the side?
What would it look like if you combined these colors into a painting?

Would the painting reflect the notes and the musical score?
Then let the colors flow out of your brush as if you are creating the music.

It will become your visual account of your auditory adventure.

Listen To Some Music

 This entry was originally posted on Wednesday May 30, 2012

I find that listening to some of my favorite music helps me get in the zone for painting.

It also helps when doing different types of painting.

Something fast and upbeat is good for painting quickly.

Calm classical music works for more detail and when I need to stay relaxed.

 

Sometimes it helps you get in the zone so well that you don't even notice when the music stops.

That is when you know that you have entered a world of your own.