Music and Art Appreciation: The Portrait"s Secret
Great portraiture can be subtle.
In support of our efforts to appreciate the posing subject, only a few clues, a few road signs are offered, and often in understated ways.
With facial expressions, posture and pose, the artist suggests the physical and emotional conditions of her subject.
A bold gaze conveys strength.
A lowered glance and downturned mouth suggests suffering, submission, sorrow, or despair.
Clothes and hair styles provide cultural or historical perspective, as well as hints about social class.
Suit, vest and bow tie suggest affluence.
Tattered pants and shirt announce poverty.
A young man's shoulder length hair, flowing wildly, may evoke his connection to the rock and roll scene.
Ultimately, the artist chooses just a few elements to develop.
This short list of elements, worked and combined subtly, is the essence of the great portrait piece.
When these aspects are over-worked, or exaggerated, the portrait subject takes on the quality of caricature.
Thoughtful incorporation of a musical element in the portrait presentation may serve to highlight the intentionally understated and limited pallet of visual elements, while preserving qualities of subtlety, ambiguity, even mystery, that are hallmarks of many great portrait works.
Music will take a stand on mood.
We may disagree with the audio's opinion, but in the end our own sense of the subject's attitude, the feelings conveyed, has been clarified.
The music does not need to be "right" to be helpful.
A bit of audio may shed indirect light on the subject by a cultural or historical allusion.
A march can suggest militaristic or nationalistic context.
A fuzzy guitar, heavy on the distortion and wa-wa, may serve to establish the place and role of our figure back in the psychedelic 1960's.
The audio will sometimes provide a more explicit narrative.
There can be progression in the music which suggests some action by the subject.
There is a story behind that playful twinkle in the eye.
Quacking brass in a stuttering counterpoint tells the story of a prankster involved in some monkey business.
Beyond highlighting the portrait with additional clues about subject, culture, history, and story, music can describe the painting's emotional content.
The audio's explicit expression of feelings evoked by the portrait subject can be helpful.
It is almost as if we have an empathetic friend participating with us in the experience of the work.
This sense of a companion with us may strengthen us to hold with sometimes challenging feelings a little longer, and in so doing connect us more deeply with art and artist.
In support of our efforts to appreciate the posing subject, only a few clues, a few road signs are offered, and often in understated ways.
With facial expressions, posture and pose, the artist suggests the physical and emotional conditions of her subject.
A bold gaze conveys strength.
A lowered glance and downturned mouth suggests suffering, submission, sorrow, or despair.
Clothes and hair styles provide cultural or historical perspective, as well as hints about social class.
Suit, vest and bow tie suggest affluence.
Tattered pants and shirt announce poverty.
A young man's shoulder length hair, flowing wildly, may evoke his connection to the rock and roll scene.
Ultimately, the artist chooses just a few elements to develop.
This short list of elements, worked and combined subtly, is the essence of the great portrait piece.
When these aspects are over-worked, or exaggerated, the portrait subject takes on the quality of caricature.
Thoughtful incorporation of a musical element in the portrait presentation may serve to highlight the intentionally understated and limited pallet of visual elements, while preserving qualities of subtlety, ambiguity, even mystery, that are hallmarks of many great portrait works.
Music will take a stand on mood.
We may disagree with the audio's opinion, but in the end our own sense of the subject's attitude, the feelings conveyed, has been clarified.
The music does not need to be "right" to be helpful.
A bit of audio may shed indirect light on the subject by a cultural or historical allusion.
A march can suggest militaristic or nationalistic context.
A fuzzy guitar, heavy on the distortion and wa-wa, may serve to establish the place and role of our figure back in the psychedelic 1960's.
The audio will sometimes provide a more explicit narrative.
There can be progression in the music which suggests some action by the subject.
There is a story behind that playful twinkle in the eye.
Quacking brass in a stuttering counterpoint tells the story of a prankster involved in some monkey business.
Beyond highlighting the portrait with additional clues about subject, culture, history, and story, music can describe the painting's emotional content.
The audio's explicit expression of feelings evoked by the portrait subject can be helpful.
It is almost as if we have an empathetic friend participating with us in the experience of the work.
This sense of a companion with us may strengthen us to hold with sometimes challenging feelings a little longer, and in so doing connect us more deeply with art and artist.