VISUAL ARTISTS LIVING AT THE TIME OF THE COMPOSERS OR HAVING INFLUENCED THE COMPOSERS

RICHARD WAGNER 1813-1883 (German) Link to Composer Bio

Gottfried Semper (1803-1879) was a German architect who lived in Dresden. He was a friend of Richard Wagner and shared with him similar ideals about the true nature of art. He designed many projects of very different scales, from the opera house in Dresden to the baton of Richard Wagner.

This is an 1875 drawing by Edouard Schuré of the Auditorium of the Bayreuth Festival Theatre.

This is a picture of the Semper Opera House in Dresden that he designed and built between 1838 and 1841.

Later, Wagner adapted the design of one of his unrealized projects, the opera house in Munich, for the model of his Festival Theatre in Bayreuth. Wagner’s operas are still performed there.

Few of Viktor Hartmann watercolors that inspired Mussorgsky remain but here is a picture of one of them, a sketch of theatre costume for the ballet Trilby that inspired the Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks. — Few of Viktor Hartmann watercolors that inspired Mussorgsky remain but here is a picture of one of them, a sketch of theatre costume for the ballet Trilby that inspired the *Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks*.

Much later in 1928 in Dessau, Germany, a very important Russian painter, Wassily Kandinsky, reinterpreted a staging of Pictures at an Exhibition. Kandinsky’s paintings were shown during the performance of each piece of music, just as Viktor Hartmann’s watercolors had been shown during the first performance of the work.

MODEST MUSSORGSKY 1839-1881 (Russian) Link to Composer Bio

In 1868, Mussorgsky met Viktor Hartmann, a Russian painter, with whom he became a close friend. In 1873, Viktor Hartmann died unexpectedly from an aneurysm and in 1874, the following year, Mussorgsky helped organize a retrospective of his friend’s work. For this exhibit he lent two watercolors that had been a gift from Hartmann. In memory of his friend, after a visit to the exhibit, Mussorgsky composed Pictures at an Exhibition.

Here is one of the paintings of Kandinsky’s reinterpretation of Pictures at an Exhibition. — Here is one of the paintings of Kandinsky’s reinterpretation of *Pictures at an Exhibition*.

IGOR STRAVINSKY 1882-1971 (Russian) Link to Composer Bio

The Firebird was written in 1910 for Sergei Diaghilev Ballets Russes in Paris. Russian ballets and Diaghilev were very fashionable at the time and Diaghilev wanted to show Russian artists in Paris. So, he commissioned two Russian artists, Leon Bakst and Alexander Golovin, to design respectively the costumes and the set for the ballet’s first production at the Salle Garnier, the Paris opera.

And here is a painting for a set design for the Firebird by Alexander Golovin. — And here is a painting for a set design for the *Firebird* by Alexander Golovin.

13-year-old Beethoven, c 1782, oil on canvas, Unknown Master, Beethoven-Haus, Bonn

LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN 1770-1827 (German) Link to Composer Bio

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 was more inspired by nature than by art. To give you an idea of the art styles during his lifetime, here is a collection of his portraits at various ages.

1820 Portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler, oil on canvas, Beethoven Haus, Bonn — 1820 Portrait by **Joseph Karl Stieler**, oil on canvas, Beethoven Haus, Bonn

1801 Portrait, oil on canvas, by Carl Traugott Riedel — 1801 Portrait, oil on canvas, by **Carl Traugott Riedel**

1804-1805 Portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven by Joseph Willibord Mahler, (detail), Vienna Museum — 1804-1805 Portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven by **Joseph Willibord Mahler**, (detail), Vienna Museum

1814 Portrait by Louis Rene Letronne — 1814 Portrait by **Louis Rene** **Letronne**

1818 Sketch Portrait by Auguste Klober, — 1818 Sketch Portrait by **Auguste** **Klober,**

JOHN POWELL Born in 1963 (British) Link to Composer Bio

John Powell was born in England and has lived in Los Angeles since 1997. His compositions are often film scores and are very much associated with Hollywood. Similarly, David Hockney, a very influential British born artist, has lived in Los Angeles since 1964, and his work is also very much associated with the city.

Here is an example of one of his paintings located in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art that identifies the city.

David Hockney, Mulholland Drive; The Road to the Studio, 1980, Acrylic on canvas, LACMA — David Hockney, Mulholland Drive; *The Road to the Studio*, 1980, Acrylic on canvas, LACMA

Ed Ruscha was born in Nebraska in 1937 and has lived in Los Angeles since 1956. He is widely regarded as one of the World’s most important artists. He often references movies in his work and combines images of the city with phrases and words of everyday language.

Here are two of his paintings deeply connected to Hollywood and films.