Departments : Art Curriculum that Works :
Pictures at an Exhibition
By John W. Healy
A classical composition inspired by a series of lost paintings is the muse behind this imaginative art lesson
A young artist displays her interpretations of "Pictures at an Exhibition."
Art and music are blended as one in Modest Mussorgsky's classical composition "Pictures at an Exhibition." The title of this opus has much to do with art and its meaningful relationship to another subject area – music.
Reach beyond the art room in order to suggest ideas to your students that will help them fill their blank canvases. I've always found that ideas that challenge the mind and spirit can bring art lessons to their highest possible outcomes.
Brushstrokes and music notes
Ask another teacher, "Is there an area of interest in the subject you teach that in some way relates to art?" Terrence Chase, who is a musician/music teacher at my school, answered this question by exclaiming, "‘Pictures at an Exhibition' by Mussorgsky!" I then expected him to sing or at least hum it. He went on to explain how Modest Mussorgsky attended an art exhibition of watercolors by his friend, Viktor Hartmann.
The time and place was the early 1870s in Russia and many Russian musicians were involved in creating nationalistic music. As he walked around the exhibition, Mussorgsky was moved by the art he saw. A composer of classical music, he interpreted the brushstrokes in the paintings as notes to be combined into musical composition. The Promenade in the beginning of the opus reflected Mussorgsky walking around the gallery going from painting to painting before stopping at one. Each separate musical composition thereafter represented Mussorgsky's impression of a different painting. Each painting had its own distinctive mood and feeling and Mussorgsky created his music from seeing those paintings. The medium may be different, yet the creative process of expressing oneself based on vivid experiences remains the same.
Although many of Hartmann's paintings that were in the exhibition are lost to history, Mussorgsky's music from this stimulus endures. What if our students attempted to recreate their own interpretation of the paintings that were lost based upon listening to Mussorgsky's music? This assignment is clearly designed to encourage your students to use their imaginations.
Steps to take in the classroom
Remember to consider class time as a factor in this lesson. Playing two compositions from this piece and having your students create two illustrations may be all you can accomplish during the time restraints of one scheduled class.
- Write on the board, "'Pictures at an Exhibition' by Modest Mussorgsky." Explain how this musical composition was created.
- Play "Pictures at an Exhibition" and pause the music to explain how the Promenade in the beginning of the opus is based on Mussorgsky walking through the exhibit of paintings. Each composition thereafter is Mussorgsky's impression of individual paintings as he stopped to look at them. The Promenade also repeats later in the composition.
- Share with your class the fact that art and music can be created based on a wide variety of influences. In this case, music was created from seeing art.
- Discuss with the class how many of Hartmann's paintings that were in this particular exhibition were lost. What do your students think happened to these paintings? They should then recreate their own interpretation of the lost paintings based upon listening to "Pictures at an Exhibition."
- Give your students watercolor paper and watercolors. White paper, pencils and crayons can also be used where there is no access to water and a sink.
- Play one composition at a time to the class. Discuss what is known about that particular composition. Ask your students to volunteer some of the visual images they saw when listening to the music.
- Students then create a visual impression of the music they heard by putting those mental images down on paper.
- Encourage your students to create a manuscript. Completed drawings may be assembled with a title page and verbal introduction detailing how the music was created. Each drawing should be labeled to include the piece of music for which it was the inspiration.
- Students can then write a conclusion that answers this question: Mussorgsky created music based on seeing Hartmann's paintings. How does seeing or hearing something help us create art?
Dr. John W. Healy teaches art at Woodland Middle School, East Meadow, NY.
May, 2007, Vol.37, No.8
