Robert P. Taylor's Musicians: Reflections of Music Making
Musicians: subjects of visual art for millenia
Above are a few of the many images I've made based on works by earlier artists: (1) a Greek vase painting (480 bc), oil paintings by (2) Baschenis (1665), (3) VerMeer (1670-72) , and (4) Dominico Tiepolo (1750s), (5) a bronze sculpture by Ernst Barlach (1928), (6) an etching by Picasso (1955), and an Egpytian tomb wall painting (1480-1070 bc).. Something further is noted about each on the page linked to its thumbnail. They are included as a reminder that artists have been creating images of musicians from the earliest times. Two reasons for this are mentioned elsewhere in this site: (1) musicians are interesting and challenging to represent because of the intensity with which they go at making music, and (2) musicians are more comfortable being subjects than most people are, because they are so used to the public scrutiny which accompanies musical performance. An important additional reason why artists have often depicted musicians however is societal. Musical performance has often played a legitimizing role in signifying the importance of particular events, life styles, or social classes. Depicting the most socially meaningful dimensions of life has thus required depicting musicians, and artists around the world have been doing it for several millenia. The tiny exhibit here is a reminder of this vast tradition within which Musicians stands.
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