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Pärt's Cantus
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Pärt's Cantus
Unique Original
byBernardica Sculac Stern
Pro Member
Painting / Abstract
Currently Available for Sale: 1
16" H x 20" W x 0.5" D x 0.5 lbs
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Description

"Pärt's Cantus" is the second of my "Music as Paintings" series.

It is my interpretation of "Cantus in Memoriam of Benjamin Britten" written in 1977 by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. I gravitate toward bittersweet music, and this work weaves longing and agony in a beautiful way; it feels like peace could be on the horizon. Many layers of paint are meant to emulate the layering of the melody. As the music adds lower octaves (symbolized by the red), there is a shimmering, almost ephemeral effect, sort of how I picture stars moving away, which is why I used metallic paint speckling as an overlay. Finally, the gold along the top symbolizes the bells, their consistency a support amidst the changing music, their ringing evoking a sense of firmament.

Year Created
2022
Colors
BluePurpleRedGreen
Materials & Tools
Acrylic
Search Terms
abstract contemporary expressionism music
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Bernardica Sculac Stern
New York, USA
As for my artistic outlook, I enjoy beauty all around me. I choose to LOOK for beauty everywhere: it could be flowers, or the play of light in a cityscape, or the myriad of colors of a crashing ocean wave. When I create art, I am trying to express how and why something is beautiful to me. Most of my work has been representational rather than abstract. However recently I started exploring how I can weave my visual art with my other artistic pursuit: music. I've been performing as a mezzo soprano singer for 25 years. I feel deeply when I listen to music, and my paintings are an expression of those feelings. I have as inspiration, composer Modest Mussorgsky's orchestral work "Pictures at an Exhibition" depicting his experience of walking through a gallery. I'm working in the other direction. Thoughts, planning, and practice are the tools I’m using to realize my vision. I believe that my music-paintings are my unique contribution to art. My hope is to create an emotional experience for the viewer: I hope they like my paintings on their own; but I also hope they listen to the music that inspired the paintings. I think all of us would benefit from more art and music.