Just posting this psychology research paper that Leila sent me on why certain types of music make our brains sing and others don't: "What we know for now is that our musical culture (that is, the music we have listened to throughout life) warps our perception and causes our preference for certain pieces over others, whether by similarity or by contrast to pieces that we have already heard." https://neurosciencenews.com/music-preference-prediction-21946/
What a great post! Firstly, I could listen to John Akomfrah talk all day ❤️. Secondly, I learnt long ago that music can alter and intensify my reaction to art and literature. This began when I read The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon while listening to Ludovico Einaudi's Edon Roc. I can't even remember why I did it but I read every page listening to that album and it remains one of the most profoundly moving works of fiction I have ever read. Would it have affected me so powerfully had I not been listening to that sublime music? I'll never know. I also remember looking through the illustrated diaries of Charles Altamont Doyle to music. He was the father of Arthur Conan Doyle and suffered mental illness exacerbated by alcaholism ending his days in an asylum. While there, deeply depressed and suffering epileptic seizures, he filled numerous diaries with illustrations of peculiar and fantastical creatures. The images are enchanting and unnerving, miniature demons giggle and slither about on twisted limbs bothering tiny ladies who take refuge in branches and hide behind giant birds. The music I chose this time was James Horner's soundtrack to A Beautiful Mind (specifically "A kaleidoscope of mathematics") and I was incredibly moved by the experience. Its like the music ignites your reaction and lifts it up another level. Something I've always wanted to is to stand in front of Theodore Gericault's life size painting of The Raft of the Medusa with head phones in listening to MARS from Holst's Planets suite. Maybe one day! Right I'm now off to read Leila's article.
Wow Jen this has opened up a whole new set of ideas for me. I can't really read and listen to music at the same time, and in general I tend to turn off my headphones when I'm in an art gallery because I want to focus on the visuals. But I'm going to try listening to some music that I love next time. How do you choose the music you listen to whilst you're reading/looking at art? Do you think about it carefully?
It's something that started a long time ago. I remember my sister and I re-playing scenes from our favourite movies (on the old Betamax video!) with the sound muted and then playing different pieces of pop music to match them. We thought of it as creating our own music videos 😊. More recently, I have done some of my best art work listening to music. I feel it helps transcend my creativity and makes me better. It's tricky to put into words tho. As for choosing music it's as simple as that which moves me. I love a lot of classical music (current crushes being Ralph Vaughan Williams and Saint-Saens) and more modern composers like James Horner and John Barry.
It’s so intriguing isn’t it? I’m definitely moved more by music. There’s no clear link between music and emotion, but plenty of theories! Theories that try to explain why minor chords sound sad, theories that say that harmonies just evoke memories that give music the meaning (a bit like art perhaps?) I think the most interesting theories are those that link music to specific brain reactions and vibrations 🧠 and neurotransmitters - that goes a little way to explain why music might be doing something different than art when we experience it.
Music is a backdrop for me, it might bring up a memory or a feeling, whereas art feels more centre stage? But that’s not a hard and fast rule.
Do you mean that you actively look at art whereas you rarely actively listen to music? There must be theories on colours and the effect they have on the brain? It might be art film, performance art or installation that can have the most profound effect on me, rather than 2D work. Although again, not a hard and fast rule.
I think I actively look at art more than I actively listen to music.. music is always on in the background ☺️
Loads of stuff in colour psychology views it from a western interiors /design perspective, the cultural differences around music and colour are sometimes nuanced too!
The bit that interests me is where colour psychology crosses over with the meaning making art creates. The colours in a Mondrian Painting for example are less likely to have a specific psych response than the sum of the parts - if that makes sense!
Yes, makes sense. So interesting. And yes I've read some stuff on interiors/design and colour OR art history and colour but I haven't seen anything on what you're talking about.
I confess that music has never moved me to tears - or laughter either really. Visual images can come closer - they may inspire a strong empathy with something. Cerebral? Probably, but I am moved the most by what I find interesting and provocative. - LOL - like your posts Vic!
As John Miles sang, music was my first love...and it will be my last. I totally understand what Shepard Fairey is saying. There's something about music that draws you in emotionally and then sets you up for the message. That does happen for me with art too, but definitely not as often.
Yes, I do think that art is perceived as elitist and hard to understand by a lot of people. You've got to have confidence to walk into an art gallery. Andy Warhol was such a popular artist in the 1960s because his work clearly represented things that many people understood and could relate to.
Just posting this psychology research paper that Leila sent me on why certain types of music make our brains sing and others don't: "What we know for now is that our musical culture (that is, the music we have listened to throughout life) warps our perception and causes our preference for certain pieces over others, whether by similarity or by contrast to pieces that we have already heard." https://neurosciencenews.com/music-preference-prediction-21946/
What a great post! Firstly, I could listen to John Akomfrah talk all day ❤️. Secondly, I learnt long ago that music can alter and intensify my reaction to art and literature. This began when I read The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon while listening to Ludovico Einaudi's Edon Roc. I can't even remember why I did it but I read every page listening to that album and it remains one of the most profoundly moving works of fiction I have ever read. Would it have affected me so powerfully had I not been listening to that sublime music? I'll never know. I also remember looking through the illustrated diaries of Charles Altamont Doyle to music. He was the father of Arthur Conan Doyle and suffered mental illness exacerbated by alcaholism ending his days in an asylum. While there, deeply depressed and suffering epileptic seizures, he filled numerous diaries with illustrations of peculiar and fantastical creatures. The images are enchanting and unnerving, miniature demons giggle and slither about on twisted limbs bothering tiny ladies who take refuge in branches and hide behind giant birds. The music I chose this time was James Horner's soundtrack to A Beautiful Mind (specifically "A kaleidoscope of mathematics") and I was incredibly moved by the experience. Its like the music ignites your reaction and lifts it up another level. Something I've always wanted to is to stand in front of Theodore Gericault's life size painting of The Raft of the Medusa with head phones in listening to MARS from Holst's Planets suite. Maybe one day! Right I'm now off to read Leila's article.
Wow Jen this has opened up a whole new set of ideas for me. I can't really read and listen to music at the same time, and in general I tend to turn off my headphones when I'm in an art gallery because I want to focus on the visuals. But I'm going to try listening to some music that I love next time. How do you choose the music you listen to whilst you're reading/looking at art? Do you think about it carefully?
It's something that started a long time ago. I remember my sister and I re-playing scenes from our favourite movies (on the old Betamax video!) with the sound muted and then playing different pieces of pop music to match them. We thought of it as creating our own music videos 😊. More recently, I have done some of my best art work listening to music. I feel it helps transcend my creativity and makes me better. It's tricky to put into words tho. As for choosing music it's as simple as that which moves me. I love a lot of classical music (current crushes being Ralph Vaughan Williams and Saint-Saens) and more modern composers like James Horner and John Barry.
Another artist for whom music was important was Jean-Michel Basquiat. There's a show on at the Montreal Museum of Fine Art at the moment which looks at his relationship with music. Great overview here from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/nov/16/jean-michel-basquiat-kaboom-beethoven-bebop-zulu?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
It’s so intriguing isn’t it? I’m definitely moved more by music. There’s no clear link between music and emotion, but plenty of theories! Theories that try to explain why minor chords sound sad, theories that say that harmonies just evoke memories that give music the meaning (a bit like art perhaps?) I think the most interesting theories are those that link music to specific brain reactions and vibrations 🧠 and neurotransmitters - that goes a little way to explain why music might be doing something different than art when we experience it.
Music is a backdrop for me, it might bring up a memory or a feeling, whereas art feels more centre stage? But that’s not a hard and fast rule.
Do you mean that you actively look at art whereas you rarely actively listen to music? There must be theories on colours and the effect they have on the brain? It might be art film, performance art or installation that can have the most profound effect on me, rather than 2D work. Although again, not a hard and fast rule.
I think I actively look at art more than I actively listen to music.. music is always on in the background ☺️
Loads of stuff in colour psychology views it from a western interiors /design perspective, the cultural differences around music and colour are sometimes nuanced too!
The bit that interests me is where colour psychology crosses over with the meaning making art creates. The colours in a Mondrian Painting for example are less likely to have a specific psych response than the sum of the parts - if that makes sense!
Yes, makes sense. So interesting. And yes I've read some stuff on interiors/design and colour OR art history and colour but I haven't seen anything on what you're talking about.
I confess that music has never moved me to tears - or laughter either really. Visual images can come closer - they may inspire a strong empathy with something. Cerebral? Probably, but I am moved the most by what I find interesting and provocative. - LOL - like your posts Vic!
Ha! Thanks Alana. Agree completely about the interesting and provocative. I'm always attracted to what stimulates me to think and gives me ideas.
As John Miles sang, music was my first love...and it will be my last. I totally understand what Shepard Fairey is saying. There's something about music that draws you in emotionally and then sets you up for the message. That does happen for me with art too, but definitely not as often.
I totally agree Helen!
You've got me singing that song now...
Yes, I do think that art is perceived as elitist and hard to understand by a lot of people. You've got to have confidence to walk into an art gallery. Andy Warhol was such a popular artist in the 1960s because his work clearly represented things that many people understood and could relate to.