Musical Expressions

A musical blog.

[thefugitivesaint]

Ernst Stöhr (1860-1917), “Ver Sacrum”, #12, 1899  Source

[books0977]

Piano Tuner (1947). Norman Rockwell (American, 1894-1978). Oil on canvas.

Piano Tuner, in which a young boy and older gentlemen work together fully in unison, encases an exquisite range of detail for the inquisitive eye while also presenting an image of youthful wonder contrasted with sage expertise. With his hands firmly on the piano keys, the experienced tuner is focused on the task at hand, listening attentively to the music to make sure it is precisely on pitch. Meanwhile, to the left, a young boy, exuding a tender and youthful innocence, hits an octave to aid the tuner hard at work. Exquisite in its attention to detail, Piano Tuner highlights Rockwell’s extraordinary skills as a draftsman.

[soyoumusik]

Don’t speak to me or my child, Opera bouffa, ever again! 

[books0977]

Allegory of love (c.1624-1626). Gerrit van Honthorst (Dutch, 1592-1656). Oil on canvas.

Music was certainly a strong motif in Honthorst’s oeuvre, where it is used and re-used to suggest flirtation, lovemaking and promiscuity. Here, it more likely alludes to the spiritual harmony and pleasures of love. Indeed, the picture typifies Honthorst’s keen sense of his audience and his skill in summoning up atmosphere. His figures, harmoniously arranged, are overtly playful and sensual, and such is their sunny countenance and engaging demeanour that is hard not to spontaneously share in their conviviality.

[the-barnes-art-collection]

Musician by Charles Demuth, The Barnes Foundation

Barnes Foundation (Philadelphia), Collection Gallery, Room 17, South Wall Medium: Watercolor and graphite on wove paper

[oldpaintings]

Al piano by Lionello Balestrieri (Italian, 1874–1958)

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[books0977]

The Musician. Rudolf Ernst (Austrian-French, 1854-1932). Oil on panel.

Ernst began as genre painter but, from 1885, he devoted himself exclusively to paintings with orientialist motifs; especially Islamic scenes, such as the interiors of mosques. He also painted harem scenes and portrayals of everyday life in North Africa, based on photographs and prints as well as his own memories from his travels in those regions.

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[books0977]

Young Boy Playing the Guitar. Norbert Goeneutte (French, 1854-1894). Oil on panel.

Carolus-Duran’s son probably modelled for Goeneutte for this painting. The two artists certainly met in Paris in Edouard Manet’s studio.

[books0977]

Bossard-Bonnel / Rennes (1925). Lotti. Poster. Printer: Imp. Vercasson, Paris.

One of the most beloved musically-themed posters ever created, Lotti’s work for the Bossard-Bonnel store of Rennes, in Brittany, displays a shocked Pierrot, caught as he’s trying to make off with a violin, a trombone, a baritone horn, a clarinet, an oboe, a mandolin, and a French horn, all of which were seemingly concealed inside the grand piano.

[books0977]

A Salon Recital of Modern Music (1929). Miguel Covarrubias (Mexican, 1904-1957). Brush and ink, pencil and gouache on paper. 

This work is an original illustration executed for Vanity Fair, ed. 54, published February 1929.

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[met-modern-art]

Pierre Mac Orlan by Jules Pascin, Modern and Contemporary Art

The Mr. and Mrs. Klaus G. Perls Collection, 1997 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY Medium: Oil on canvas

http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/486846