In the last article, we have already dared to deal with synesthesia, a phenomenon that has inspired artists and musicians alike for centuries.
Let us take this article as an opportunity to take a closer look at this astonishing neurological connection between the senses and understand how it influences art and music.
Music and art - a symbiotic duo
Music and visual arts have been intertwined for centuries, but often in a subtle way. From ancient Greece to the present, composers and artists inspire each other. In the impressionist painting of artists such as Claude Monet or Edgar Degas, the emergence of epochal works was often influenced by the gentle, flowing sounds of the music of Claude Debussy .
The idea is simple, but profound: art is not silent and music has a shape. ”

Ki Illustration, created using the image generator Imageflash
Several years ago, during a summer vacation in Paris, I even experienced a performance by Debussy's "Clair de Lune" in front of Monet's water lily paintings in the Musée d'Orsay. It was overwhelming to hear and see the harmonies and nuances of these two masterpieces synchronized. It created an emotional response that is not so easy to forget.
If the muse kisses me today and I work on an image idea for relaxation, I still like to hear piano music (Debussy, Hans Zimmer, Ludovico Einaudi, Vivaldi, ...) .
The easiest way to do this is with wireless earbuds, on-ear headphones or good Bluetooth speakers. These should have high-end quality so that music enjoyment is undisturbed. Bluetooth speaker Black Friday Deals, e.g. from JBL, offer a good opportunity to take care of yourself.
Duke Ellington , one of the great jazz musicians, also painted real acoustic images with his melodic compositions that created colored emotions for the ear.
What does synesthesia mean?
Synesthesia is a neurological condition in which the stimulation of a sense automatically triggers an involuntary experience in a different sense. A synesthetic person could, for example, hear colors, see sounds or feel tastes.
It is assumed that about 4% of the population have synesthetic experiences, whereby the exact perceptions can vary from person to person.
History of synesthesia in art
The combination of synesthesia and art goes back a long way. As early as the 19th century, scientists and artists dealt with this phenomenon. Charles Baudelaire , a French poet, was known for his synesthetic descriptions of colors and scents. symbolism movement also inspired .
Wassily Kandinsky: The pioneer of synesthetic painting
Wassily Kandinsky , a Russian painter and art theorist, was one of the best -known synesthetic artists. He believed in the spiritual power of art and looked for paths to translate music into visual art. In his writings, Kandinsky wrote that he associated certain colors with specific musical instruments - for example, he saw yellow as the color of the trumpet and blue as the color of the organ.
In Kandinsky's works such as "Composition VII" you can see the visible visualization of musical notes and rhythms. His flowing lines and intense colors follow an inner musicality that is rooted in its synesthetic experience.

Wassily Kandinsky, 1913
Kandinsky often heard a "backing" of sounds when he saw colors that influenced his intuitive abstraction of art.
Synesthesia in music: from Rimsky-Korsakov to Björk
Not only visual artists, but also many musicians experienced synesthesia. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov , a famous Russian composer, combined specific keys with colors. He described A major as a golden tone and D major as a greenish-yellow tone. Such colored perceptions influenced his compositions and helped him create a unique musical palette.
In the contemporary music scene, the Icelandic artist Björk known to bring synesthetic elements into her work. Björk associates music with various natural and earth-inspired colors and textures. Your audiovisual art impresses with a harmonious connection between sound and image that simulates synesthetic experiences.
In the artistic project Biophilia , on which the artist worked with app programmers, synesthesia seems to be a higher-level topic. One of the programmers illustrated this in an interview with the time Crystalline track . Björk explained to the team how she felt music: she visualizes the rhythm as an angular tunnel and the clock as the walls of this tunnel. Four bars correspond to about four sides of the tunnel.
If the musical arrangement changes, the tunnel will also change. In this way, she designed crystalline based on her personal synesthetic feeling.
Synesthetic art and music today
Modern technology has made it possible to make synesthetic experiences accessible to a wider audience. Virtual reality and immersive installations allow visitors to feel synesthetic perceptions. Artists such as Janet Cardiff , who create sound sculptures, or Zaria Forman , whose works of art captivate almost musical movements, show how synesthesia continues to inspire new art forms.
Another example is the installation "Pulse Room" by Rafael Lozano inhibitor . Here visitors can take up their heartbeat, and the light rooms based on them convey a synesthetic experience that connects sound, light and rhythm. Such projects illustrate how synaesthesia becomes its own art form beyond a phenomenon.
Steve Reich minimal music composer , designed works that can cause synesthetic experiences. Its repetitive patterns and layers of sounds create a sensory interaction that calls up visual impressions.
Synesthesia and artistic education
For art and music lovers, the understanding of synesthesia offers a deeper level of appreciation and inspiration. Many art schools today integrate synesthetic exercises into their curriculum to help students create multisensory works Such education promotes creative approaches and raises the boundaries between different art forms.
For example, you can visit a synesthesia workshop in which you paint colors to music pieces or discover your own synesthetic connections. Such workshops are more than just artistic exercises; They are jumping boards for innovative and interdisciplinary art projects.
So the connection between art and music can become an enrichment for your art
In the studios of artists, it is widespread to listen to music when creating art while creativity is unfolded inside. Music has the ability to touch areas of their imagination that the visual impression cannot achieve. It can lift the mood and stimulate reflecting. Music can cause memories, to close a space for thoughts or to draw a curtain that excludes the outside world.
The influence of music on the creative vision of an artist at Marti McGinnis from Happyart.com , for example, was aware for the first time by the captivating pastoral sequence in Disney's Fantasia . This sequence has enthusiastically enthusiastic the painter and shows how music can inspire art profoundly.
The examination of the symbiotic connection between art and music is therefore an enriching employment for every creative, apart from all those who appreciate these two disciplines. When dealing with the topic first, questions arise:
- How do you influence each other?
- How can they be combined into a multi -sensory experience?
- How did the music shape the development of the visual art (and vice versa)?
Through the analysis of historical interactions and modern cooperation, we would like to research at this point how music and visual art form social views, against mirrors and challenge.
How do we define art?
Art is more than just its content; It touches the emotions and conveys meanings that define a work. As with the design of a dream house, many factors play a role in the artistic process that creates an intimate communication channel. Each medium becomes an ambassador for our thoughts and feelings.
This form of expression is particularly enriched by the connection between music and visual art: artists can be inspired and linked by harmonies and rhythms. Auditive elements with visual impressions. This creates a multi -sensory experience in which colors dance with melodies and swing brush strokes in rhythm, which causes profound resonance to the viewer.
Where forming art influences music
Art and music are closely interwoven, with artists often inspired by musical elements. Significant modernity of the early 20th century, such as James McNeill Whistler and Paul Klee , integrated rhythmic patterns and harmonies in their works. Wassily Kandinsky sought to create a multi -sensory experience by using colors and forms as musical instruments, influenced by Arnold Schönberg's atonal compositions.
Jazz was appreciated by modernist painters as a cultural movement that questioned aesthetic norms; Stuart Davis impressively captures the improvisational character of jazz in his pictures. This synergy between art and music opens up new dimensions of creativity and invites you to make the profound emotions and cultural aspects tangible.
Where music influences art
In a harmonious interplay of inspiration, the melodies combine with the brush strokes of an artist and create lively, captivating visual symphonies. Over the centuries, music has shaped numerous artists and integrated their rhythms and melodies into their artistic work. Von Keith Haring , who listened to the sounds of the rap while painting and even designed sneakers for Run DMC, to Wassily Kandinsky, who played violin and gave his works of art musical titles, the connection between art and music is undeniable.
Vincent van Gogh found consolation in music and inspired a folk song devoted to him after his death. Georgia O'keeffe was convinced that art can cause emotions that resemble the feelings of music; She created abstract works that draw from this inspiration. Yayoi Kusama also incorporated the sounds of music into her art and poetry. Two paintings by Piet Mondrian - "Broadway Boogie Woogie" and "Victory Boogie Woogie" - are even seen as visual forms of expression of musical compositions.
When artists adopt the influence of music, they are able to create works that develop a deeper and far -reaching response. The melodies that sound in their heads transform into colors on the screen or into shapes made of sound. The result is an immersive experience in which the viewer can almost hear the grades from the artwork.
Music has the ability to promote creativity and relaxation in combination with art. It is one of the most common muses for artists and gives her work both rhythm and harmony.
Let yourself be inspired by the profound way when discovering these extraordinary connections between art and music how these two media merge and bring beauty into our lives. Immerse yourself in this fascinating symbiosis that not only stimulates our mind, but also touches our soul.
Concrete knowledge and implementable tips for your artistic journey
After our in -depth discussion, we asked ourselves the question: How can we, as an artist, incorporate these principles and knowledge into our own work? Here are a few suggestions:
- Journaling with music: try to visualize your emotions and thoughts about a piece of music. Whether you draw, paint or just write colored notes - let music guide your work.
- Combined exhibitions: Create your own little art museum at home by hanging out paintings and playing suitable music. This synchronization can deepen their perception of both forms of art.
- Explore synesthesia works of art: Stroll through galleries that exhibit works by synesthetic artists. Look for expressive works by Kandinsky or Afrofuturist interpretations by Sun Ra .
- Experiment yourself: painting or drawing to various music styles. How does jazz improvisation affect your creative processes compared to a classic symphony or rock music?
Tip: paintings by composer Arnold Schoenberg hang in museums such as Albertina in Vienna and illustrate the direct connection between musical and visual art.
A lasting impression
Synesthesia offers a unique, complex and deeply emotional connection between the senses. With immersive exhibitions and a growing number of synesthetic works of art and installations, we can discover and experience people without this sensory peculiarity a little.
You can see that the creative process is not a linear path, but a branched network of sensory impressions and personal experiences. Any encounter with art or music can become a synesthetic journey that deepens its imagination and artistic sensitivity.
Frequently asked questions about synesthesia in art and music
Can synesthesia be learned or trained?
Traditional synesthesia is innate and cannot be learned, but you can use mindfulness and creative exercises to deepen your feelings and promote synesthetic connections.
Which famous artists and musicians have synesthesia?
Well -known synesthetic artists are Wassily Kandinsky and Joan Mitchell. In music, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Duke Ellington are among the well-known synesthetes.
How do I recognize synaesthetic elements in works of art?
Pay attention to works that represent visual representations of musical elements, such as rhythmic lines or harmonious color tuning. Read the background information of the artists to learn more about their synesthetic experiences.
Are there synaesthesia workshops or courses?
Yes, many art schools and museum programs offer workshops that include synaesthetic exercises and experience processes. Find out more at local cultural centers or art academies.
How can synaesthesia influence my own creative work?
Synesthesia can expand your creative perspective by combining different senses and discovering new forms of expression. Experiment with the overlay of sounds and pictures to expand your artistic spectrum.
Sources, support, inspiration and further information:
- Arlington Museum of Art: The Soul of Imagination: Where Music and Art Intertwine, https://arlingtonmuseum.org/pov/the-soul-of-imagination-where-Music-Art-intertwine
- Martin Raymond on The Future Laboratory , The Neuroaesthetic Age , https://www.thefuturelaboratory.com/blog/the-neuroaesthetic-age
- Marti McGinnis on HappyArt.com : How Music Can Influence Your Art , https://www.happyart.com/post/how-music-can-influence-your-Art
- Creative Pinellas : The Influence of Music in Art , https://creativepinellas.org/magazine/the-influence-of-in-art-2/
- ZEIT ONLINE : Singer Björk makes on app , https://www.zeit.de/digital/mobil/2011-07/biophilia-bjoerk-ipad/ page-2

Owner and managing director of Kunstplaza . Publicist, editor and passionate blogger in the field of art, design and creativity since 2011. Successful conclusion in web design as part of a university degree (2008). Further development of creativity techniques through courses in free drawing, expression painting and theatre/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market through many years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with actors/institutions from art and culture.