Today's class- The topic today was rhythm in visual art. We looked at slides showing how visual artworks often have kinds of rhythm and movement within. For the art project I played pieces of instrumental music, each segment lasting about 15 minutes, while the class painted abstract compositions to match the feel of the music. At the end of class, I selected a random painting from each student and had the class guess which of the 5 musics were represented.
How to make this up on your own- Get your watercolors and 18"x24" pad. Use one full sheet of paper for each painting, spend about 15 minutes. The paintings can't have any recognizable things or scenes or people- just abstract design. Choose color and application to match the kind of music that accompanies the painting. These are the things we listened to, along with a suitable substitute if you can't find what I provided-
1) Brahms Hungarian Dances #1-5 (substitute any 15 minutes of lively classical music)
2) Jimmy Yancey - 5 instrumentals from the album "Chicago Piano Vol 1" (substitute any slow blues or jazz piano)
3) Raymond Scott Quintet- 6 instrumentals from the album "Reckless Nights and Turkish Twilights" (this is 1930's descriptive jazz that has been adapted for countless cartoons from the 1940's on. Substitute- two classic Tom and Jerry cartoons --no dialogue makes them ideal-- listen to music and occasional sound effects while you paint)
4) Marc Ribot- 3 instrumentals from the album "Saints" (atonal, experimental music without a regular rhythm. Substitute by playing two very different kinds of music simultaneously, try to make sense of it while you paint.)
5) Bad Brains- several songs from debut album. (early 80's hardcore thrash punk, with the occasional dub reggae song thrown in. Substitute with something similarly loud, fast, and unintelligible.)
This is a portfolio exercise, so it must be done by the end of the semester.
