Eine Kleine Nacht… Kunst

Judith, , , , ,

First, apologies to Carsten Wieland or any other German speakers…I hope I wrote my title correctly.

I’ve been doing a lot of piano practice lately, including a lovely transcription of Mozart’s well-known Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. You’re familiar with the music, even if you don’t know it. It’s a very popular chamber music piece and has been used in movies, television shows, and even commercials.

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

Yes, this is still an art blog, but music is an art, too, so just a few quick notes (no pun intended) about Mozart’s chamber music, and then we’ll move on.

Surprisingly, this piece — considered to be one of Mozart’s most popular works today — wasn’t published until forty years after his death. It was written in 1787, and after his death it was one of many pieces of music his wife sold. It had no actual title, but a note declared it to be “Eine kleine nachtmusik” — which according to Wikipedia means a little serenade, although “a little night music” is a more literal translation.

Recently I did a small painting that I’m calling “a little night art.” I wasn’t listening to Mozart at the time, but his famous night music certainly came to mind after I’d completed my little nocturne. 

Night Music
“A Little Night Art” by Judith Lynne Kraus 5 x 7 Oil on Canvas Panel

It’s always fun playing with colors — which is exactly what I’d been doing. This started as an exercise for practicing different keys — not in music, but in color. The assignment was to paint a low-key painting using darker values. I liked the dark skies and couldn’t resist adding a bit of moonlight.

Although I wiped away two other paintings from the exercise — a high-key and a middle-key study — I liked this little nocturne. It’s simple, but I like simple. I’m happy with this little night art.

 

 

26 Comments

  1. I truly hope you will be able to read The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson because your mysterious landscape remind me of the description of the landscape around Hill House at night–dark, mysterious, with scary thoughts hiding in the grass.

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      4. LOL… you sound like me. When I read, I love what I call “total immersion” in the story. I read Dracula one cold autumn weekend when I was alone. Rain was pouring down. It was cold, dark, and dreary. I cooked Romanian food, and it all added up to an unforgettable experience.

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      5. yes! I like to create an atmosphere around me that is similar to the one in the book I am reading. But, you surely took it to another level by cooking Romanian food during your encounter with Dracula. Love it!!!!!!!!!!
        I wonder what kind of food you should cook while reading the Haunting of Hill House…maybe…” .the bird, and radishes from the garden, and homemade plum jam?” 😉

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  7. Judith, Everything is fine. Just super busy with school work. Still reading books of course, but no time for writing reviews. too much academic writing and no smart brain cells left in my brain. Thank you for checking on me. I miss our daily discussions and your marvelous posts.

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    1. I knew you were really busy with school. When I didn’t see any new blog posts, I did get a little worried. Rather than wait for you to show up again, I thought I’d check on you just to be sure all was well.

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