Looking and Listening: Musical Visions

About the Series

Our exciting new series, Looking and Listening, explores the relationship between visual art and music. Join us in the Barnes galleries, where Albert Barnes often used music in his teachings. Surrounded by Matisse, Picasso, Renoir, and Cézanne, we will listen to various recordings—from Stravinsky and Ravel to African American spirituals—and discuss how perception changes when the visual and aural intersect. While some sessions will be rooted in history, focusing on the stylistic conventions of a particular era, others will be more loosely conceived, with time devoted to pure sensory exploration.

About the Class

Musical Visions

Music and painting share a basic vocabulary—color, tone, harmony, composition, improvisation, modulation, and scale could describe an artwork or a song. In his influential 1810 review of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, E. T. A. Hoffmann wrote: “Music reveals to man an unknown realm, a world quite separate from the outer sensual world surrounding him, a world in which he leaves behind all precise feelings . . . to embrace an inexpressible longing.” Romantic artists sought to infuse their visual works with the same world of feelings and emotions. Composer Hector Berlioz wrote that instrumentation in music was the exact equivalent of color in painting. This workshop will reveal how various artists represented in the Main Gallery were influenced by music when conceiving their works.

Capacity: 60

Barnes classes will:

• Sharpen your observational and critical thinking skills.
• Improve your ability to communicate about art.
• Deepen your appreciation for cultures and histories outside your own.

See all classes.

Recent Barnes Class Testimonials

“Naina Saligram is the professor everyone hopes to have. She is knowledgeable and open to listening to her students.” The Classical Tradition in Modern Art with Naina Saligram

“Joe Tokumasu Field was a wonderful instructor—very patient, caring, and skilled at interacting with students’ questions and comments.” The Japanese American Century with Joseph Tokumasu Field

“Kaelin got us involved in the conversation in a way that made it engaging and fun. I learned so much and didn’t feel like I was just being lectured at the whole time. The class was well paced and covered the basics without oversimplification.” The Language of Painting with Kaelin Jewell

“I love these close-looking classes; [it’s great] to see the details of each painting and to have an instructor lead our eyes in how best to look at a work of art.” Close-Looking Immersion: Glackens’s The Raft with William Perthes

“The instructor was amazing! She was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, funny, and open to questions. She brought in outside resources and made herself available via email for questions between classes. I would take anything she teaches.” The Impressionists: Friends and Family with Caterina Pierre