York Festival of Ideas
Art & Music
23 June to 31 December, 10am to 5pm daily
In this new exhibition at York Art Gallery works by artists such as LS Lowry, Walter Sickert and Andy Warhol will be brought together to celebrate the relationship between art and music.
Art & Music will showcase more than 40 works from the gallery's collection including oils, prints and ceramics and look at the many ways music is expressed through art – from the obvious to the more obscure – and also its symbolism within works.
The works on display range from Juriaan van Streek's Vanitas, painted in the 17th Century, to more modern works such as Bridget Riley's Cloudy Blue Greens with Pink and Emerald Thrusts.
Van Streek's work, which shows a violin with a broken string, is a piece of moral criticism. Musical instruments represent physical love and he asserts that to practice music is a vain pastime. The broken string of the violin in the painting symbolises death and reminds the viewer to lead a moral life.
In contrast Riley's work was influenced by the freedom of expression in music, which does not appear to obey rules, yet can be translated in a mathematical way. Her work takes a similar approach.
The exhibition will also look at the ideas of class, society and education and how that is shown in art through music. The influences of art on music album covers will also be included.
There will be two contemporary loans in the exhibition including a film by Jayne Parker entitled Foxfire Eins.
A series of events and talks will complement Art & Music.
Admission: Free, no ticket required.
Venue: York Art Gallery, Exhibition Square, York
