Artistic Variations on a Theme
In his brief time on this planet, American pop artist Keith Haring (1958-1990) devoted himself to art as a way to bridge and celebrate our differences. In his journal, he wrote, “No two human beings ever experience two sensations, experiences, feelings, or thoughts identically.” I would extend his statement to include that no two artists ever treat a particular theme identically. Take, for example, something as basic as playing the piano (an art in itself). I was amazed to find it show up over and over in a wide variety of artistic genres. There’s everything from classical to the most abstract, oil painting to collage. One artist alone can explore the same subject in many iterations, each as a distinct expression. Among others, Henri Matisse (1869-1954), born in Le Cateau-Cambrésis, France, did just that.
The Piano Lesson (1916), by Henri Matisse. Oil on canvas. The Museum of Modern Art, New York City. Source: khanacademy.org/
In 1916, Matisse depicts his son Pierre in the middle of a piano lesson. The boy does not look happy. Given that this is a younger version of him, it could be a nostalgic rendering, for at the time Matisse was painting, his son was mobilized to fight in World War I. A year later, he produced The Music Lesson, a warmer, less geometric portrait that departs from what appears to be a nod to Cubism in The Piano Lesson.
The Music Lesson (1917), by Henri Matisse. Oil on canvas. The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia.
Source: collection.barnesfoundation.org/
Music was important to the Matisse family. In The Music Lesson, the artist includes his wife, daughter, and two sons in the living room of the family home in Issy-les-Moulineaux. Matisse himself was an accomplished violinist. A violin, presumably his, sits on the piano. He continues with this interest in music in several more paintings.
Woman at the Piano (1924), by Henri Matisse.
Source: wikiart.org/
There are two titled Woman at the Piano as well as Pianist and Checker Players and Piano Player and Still Life, all painted between 1924 and 1925. They are bright with red and other primary colors, incorporating the same backdrop: Is it a painted or papered wall or, more likely, a textile? Matisse collected an assortment of textiles from around the world and kept them close throughout his life.
Woman at the Piano (1925), by Henri Matisse.
Source: wikiart.org/
Pianist and Checker Players is set in the apartment Matisse had in Nice. His favorite model, Henriette Darricarère, and her two brothers seem to stand in for his own family. His violins hang from the armoire in the corner.
Pianist and Checker Players (1924), by Henri Matisse. Oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Source: art-matisse.com/
Piano Player and Still Life (1924), by Henri Matisse. Kunstmuseum, Bern, Switzerland. Source: wikiart.org
After looking at all these piano-themed paintings by Matisse, I find it easy to imagine American artist Romare Bearden (1911-1988) being inspired to create his own portrayal of a piano lesson. In 1964, invigorated by the improvisational approach of jazz music, he started creating collages to reflect African-American life in the rural South and Harlem. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, he grew up in New York City. In The Piano Lesson (Homage to Mary Lou), he depicts a music teacher and her student in a Southern parlor. He dedicated this painting to jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams. In turn, Bearden’s painting inspired Pittsburgh-native August Wilson to create his 1987 play, “The Piano Lesson.”
The Piano Lesson (Homage to Mary Lou), 1983, by Romare Bearden. Color lithograph. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia.
Source: www.pafa.org/
Matisse and Bearden are far from being the only artists who have focused on the piano. Even Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), known so widely for his exterior works, portrayed Marguerite Gachet playing. She was the daughter of Dr. Paul Gachet, Vincent van Gogh's homeopathic physician in Auvers-sur-Oise, France.
Marguerite Gachet at the Piano (1890), by Vincent van Gogh. Oil on canvas. Kunstmuseum Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Musée d’Orsay, Paris. Source: wikiart.org/
While van Gogh’s painting never became part of a series on the piano, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1844-1919), from Limoges, repeatedly portrayed girls and young women playing the instrument. Here are only three of them.
Yvonne and Christine Lerolle at the Piano (1892), by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Oil on canvas. Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris. Source: commons.wikimedia.org/
Jeunes filles au piano (Young Girls at the Piano), 1892, by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Oil on canvas. Musée d’Orsay, Paris.
Source: commons.wikimedia.org/
La leçon de piano (The Piano Lesson), ca. 1889, by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Oil on canvas. Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska.
Source: commons.wikimedia.org/
There are so many Western paintings embracing this subject that I can’t help but wonder why. Is it because many visual artists also love music? Or is it simply something that, alongside a landscape and still life, has been part and parcel of an artist’s repertoire? Though playing the piano appears in many paintings, in each one the sensibility and mood vary. A discrete style comes through a particular era and its art movement as well as place. For instance, Danish artist Poul Friis Nybo (1869–1929) offers quieter, perhaps more contemplative, portraits than Renoir.
A Woman at the Piano (before 1929), by Poul Friis Nybo. Source: commons.wikimedia.org/
A Girl at the Piano (before 1929), by Poul Friis Nybo.
Source: commons.wikimedia.org/
Interior with Woman Playing the Piano, (before 1929), by Poul Friis Nybo. Source: artnet.com/
Unlike lots of paintings with females playing piano, French painter Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894) also depicted a young man, while Austrian Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) chose to focus on Austrian composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828) at the keyboard. And is that a man or a woman in a work by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)?
Young Man Playing the Piano (1876), by Gustave Caillebotte. Oil on canvas. Private collection. Source: wikiart.org/
Schubert am Klavier II (Schubert at the Piano II), 1899, by Gustav Klimt. Oil on canvas. Source: wikiart.org/
Le piano (Velázquez), 1957, by Pablo Picasso. Oil on canvas. Museu Picasso, Barcelona, Spain. Source: wikiart.org/
Except for French Impressionist Berthe Morisot (1841-1895), I had a hard time coming up with well-known women painters treating the same theme.
Le piano (The Piano), 1889, by Berthe Morisot. Pastel.
Source: wikiart.org/
“Julie Manet écoutant, étude pour Le piano” (Julie Manet listening, study for The Piano), 1888, by Berthe Morisot. Source: commons.wikimedia.org/
An entirely different approach is taken by California sculptor, mixed-media, and installation artist Alison Saar (1956- ), whose work emphasizes the African diaspora and black female identity. In a series called “Torch Song,” one sculpture includes piano keys hanging around the neck of the singer like a bandolier.
Torch Song, by Alison Saar. Source: .youtube.com/watch?v=9uk7OkBiYeA
Examples reflecting other art movements and their particular styles come from Czech artist Frantisek Kupka (1871-1957) and French artist René Magritte (1898-1967).
Piano Keys Lake (1905), by Frantisek Kupka. Oil on canvas. Source: wikiart.org/
Georgette at the Piano (1923), by René Magritte. Oil on canvas. Brachot Gallery, Brussels, Belgium. Source: wikiart.org/
Still more piano playing was depicted by Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), Edvard Munch (1863-1944), and Philip Evergood (1901-1973), from France, Norway, and the United States, respectively. Beyond individual talent and inclination, the circumstances of geography and time must have had an influence on how diverse these are.
Girl at the Piano (Overture to Tannhauser), 1869, by Paul Cézanne. Oil on canvas. Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia. Source: www.wikiart.org/
Girl at the Piano (1886), by Edvard Munch.
Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway.
Source: commons.wikimedia.org/
While there are certainly dozens more I could include, I’ll stop here. For me, the variety reminds me of the countless novels that have been written about the universal dramas of life and death, joy and sorrow, love and hate. Yet each narrative is unique, as are the characters. This is equally true of compositions written in the same key. Yet we hear entirely different music.
Woman at the Piano (1955), by Philip Evergood. Oil on canvas. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. Source: americanart.si.edu/
When one topic, such as playing the piano, can result in such a broad range of styles, it reinforces a proverbial saying: literally, “different strokes for different folks.” It also demonstrates how artists can inspire one another, even when they don’t create in the same medium. I find this greatly encouraging as we gradually develop our artistic “voice.” It behooves us to create in the way we each feel compelled to, and not necessarily according to what’s au courant. Make your own music, whether with oils, watercolors, pastels or ink, stone, wood, metal or clay, textiles, paper, thread or yarn!
Questions & Comments:
Which of the paintings speak to you? Can you imagine hearing music while looking at them?
Why do you think some artists create images of music being performed?
If you find yourself creating musical scenes, what instruments do you favor?
What is the connection between the art of music and the art of painting?
What theme do you work on repeatedly, creating a series?
