Roles of Music in the Expanding Art Expression

Abstract

Connection between music and art expression is the fruit of modern art which has developed to the critical foundation of contemporary art at present. This study aims to survey concepts of artists whose work were inspired by music between the late 19th century and the early 20th century. The ideas influencing changes in forms and techniques of the artists in each era as well as its specific social and cultural contexts are analysed. The result suggests that, first, before the 1900s, artists began to exchange and communicate their ideas and inspiration in music and art through scenes in nature and surrounding atmosphere by impressionist and post – impressionist painters. Second, music became a crucial element to spawn abstract art on the basis that music aims to express abstraction in nature therefore music is abstraction in its very nature and music sound never reveals the outside world but express the feeling inside the soul, which are found in the concepts of Wassily Kandinsky and Arnold Schönberg. Third, economical, social and political changes in the 20th century took a crucial part to bring music and art closer to the society, when Luigi Russolo together with his fellow futurist artists intend to use new music sound and various mediums to communicate with the public. Music and art motivated each other for decades until now, when sounds and music are not expressed via spaces, lines, colours, values, lights and shades any more. Every sound has its particular meaning, so to compose music as well as to create art do not solely serve beautification. Instead, both contain volume of emotions, stories about society and, certainly, reflection of ideas.