I have always measured the passion of
my various relationships against Mimí and Rodolfo’s love duet in the first act
of Puccini’s La Bohѐme.
At the MOMA in New York, I once stood in front of
Picasso’s Girl before a Mirror for an hour marvelling at the energy and surety
of his brushstrokes, admiring the artist’s confidence. When I saw Monet’sHaystacks series at the Chicago Art Institute, the quality of light brought
back visceral, bittersweet memories of many childhood afternoons. The second
movement of Beethoven’s piano concerto No. 5 is, for me, the aching embodiment
of sweetness – on a four hour road trip I once listened to that track a dozen
times and then was so engrossed in the music that I missed my exit and got
hopelessly lost...
Discussing the connections between art and music is an
enormous undertaking. I have started this article half a dozen times, both
inspired and overwhelmed by my task. I am passionate about my subject – as a
musician I have been drawn to music as a way to explore my world and to find my
voice; as an art lover I have been inspired, moved and challenged to see the
world in new ways. For me music and art cannot be separated – they are
intrinsically interwoven and both sources of great inspiration and wonder.
Their relationship to each other is both simple and complex; together they
provide a basis from which we may undertake an exploration of the divine. This
exploration is my intent as I set out to write these pieces: you can see why it
is a daunting task.
The lexicon of classical music is immense and the body of
modern art enormous – where to begin?
In order to write well I must define my
topic, but to choose a historical era is too arbitrary; I‘d like to instead
explore a concept: the avant-garde. Initially a French military term referring
to the advance guard in any battle, in art it has come to describe anything
that is innovative and pushes the boundaries of convention. This is the
province of artistic genius and regardless of taste or reception there are
countless examples of artists who were able to do this.
Art has the power to
move, affect, and inspire. Great artists create a world into which the viewer
or the listener is drawn. The duty of the artist is, according to the composer,
Robert Schumann, “to send light into the darkness of men's hearts”. Wassilly
Kandinsky, the great abstract painter, claimed that the desire to explore the
divine enables artists to "fulfil their purpose and feed the spirit."
I believe that to explore divinity is to explore our humanity; hasn’t this
always been the task of great artists? I am a passionate believer that the
synthesis of all art creates a comprehensive whole that mirrors our humanity.
No artist creates in a vacuum – there are always societal, political, or
psychological factors at play. These factors help determine the nature of art,
how it is created, and the public’s perception of it.
To understand a work of
art it may be necessary to understand the artist who created it. What was the context
into which the art was born? By definition avant-garde art is revolutionary –
is this reflected in all aspects of the artist’s life? Certainly many artists
are courageous and often misunderstood. Perhaps their art is considered
dangerous; history is full of outrageous examples: Beethoven’s music , rife
with passion, was considered highly inappropriate for young ladies; Igor
Stravinsky, smuggled out the back of the theatre when disgusted and enraged
audience members rioted at the premier of his Rites of Spring – now a
cornerstone of the modern repertoire, his music was considered obscene and
demented.
The term avant-garde , as it refers to art, was coined in about 1850.
It nonetheless applies to art created today, provided the piece is original and
an exploration of new concepts. Even the most original artists were inspired
and influenced by others: Kandinsky, painting in a revolutionary way was
inspired by the radical music of Arnold Schoenberg, the father of atonality and
inventor of the 12 tone system. Picasso’s close relationship with Satie and the
composers of Les Six meant his collaboration in various stage works and the
symbiosis of music, art and theatre. Composers and artists: all pushed
conventional boundaries, either in form or subject matter, and new art was
created.
As art lovers aren’t we all amateur historians and sociologists? While
some art may be immediately accessible, some requires a greater effort on the
part of the observer. True art appreciation is enhanced by an understanding of
context. This commitment to exploration on the part of the art-lover enriches
perception - armed with knowledge and understanding, you are more likely to be
swept away by Mozart’s “gentle breeze” in Cosí fan Tutte, or remember what it
was like to first fall in love through the eyes of Chagall’s Lovers In theMoonlight.
Through this series I will explore various avant-garde movements of
art and music and discuss the connections between them. From Debussy and the
French Impressionists through Art Nouveau and the birth of jazz and cabaret, I
will try to reveal how the threads of genius converge and intertwine to create
a gorgeous tapestry –a backdrop against which our humanity is thrown into
relief. We are inspired by music and art, as they influence each other. I
invite you to explore this relationship with me, and to hopefully share some
inspiration along the way.
(This is the first in a series created for the Fuschia Tree's art magazine, Artitude, exploring the inter-relatedness of art and music.)
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