Art in Music -- Odes to Artworks, Artists, and Art Movements

Part 2 of the "Odes" category of art in music. Here are five more songs in which musicians share their loving, serious, and/or confused homages to a variety of artists, artworks, or art movements. First, let's start with an eye-catching and fun music video:

 

Hold Your Horses -- 70 Million

This video brings to life several famous paintings from various time periods and genres as the band members take on the characters of each painting's subjects. While it is humorous that a man portrays Botticelli's Venus, the likeness to the painting created by the musicians is really stunning. Obviously this band, or at the least their video director, has a strong taste for historical art.

Rachel's -- Frida Kahlo

Though this song is instrumental, the title suggests it as an ode to the Mexican artist known for her self-portraits and surrealistic fantasies. The classically influenced musical group Rachel's has actually created quit a few compositions around the theme of visual art, this one being my favorite.

Sufjan Stevens -- The Vivian Girls Are Visited In The Night By Saint Dargarius

The title clearly identifies the theme of this song -- the work of little-known artist, illustrator, and writer Henry Darger. Sufjan's energetic and eclectic style is an art in itself, but this dreamy instrumental interpretation of Darger's artwork is even more thought-provoking than words can describe.

Rheostatics -- Music Inspired by the Group of Seven (album)

Another instrumental, but this is an entire album rather than one song dedicated to the beautiful "Group of Seven." These Canadian landscape artists from the 1920s were showcased in a large exhibition sponsored by the National Gallery of Canada in 1995. The museum commissioned the Rheostatics to create this album inspired by the retrospective exhibition.


Jonathan Richman -- No One Was Like Vermeer
This, today's only lyrical song, ode to Vermeer's unusual painting style accurately reflects the art-making style of the Dutch artist, as well as his societal influence. The folk-rocker's thumping music provides a unique backdrop for the description of Vermeer's peculiar color choices and relatively unknown way of life.

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Stay tuned for more "Art in Music" posts...

In researching the musings of various musicians about the topic of visual art, I found songs including mentions of art are somewhat limited in quantity, yet profoundly inspiring and memorable. I chose to sort my findings according to a few common themes and then present a review of each group on the following schedule:

• ODES (Part 1) to specific artworks, artists, or art movements -- June 8 (4 songs)
• LOVE songs, some hopeful and others confused, referencing art -- July 6 (6 songs)
• HUMOROUS songs about art or specific artists -- August 3 (5 songs)
• BIOGRAPHIES of specific artists' lives -- September 7 (3 songs)
• ODES (Part 2) to specific artworks, artists, or art movements -- October 5 (4 songs)
• BALLADS of heartbreak, using art as a metaphor -- November 2 (3 songs)
• REALISTIC narrations of pain, hope, struggle, and life, presented with references to art -- December 7 (5 songs)