Classical composers who also paint well

There are many wizards of melody in the world of classical music, but some composers have the gift of being "good painters too! Some composers are also good at painting! They are truly artistic geniuses who have mastered both music and art! In this issue, we will focus on such "two-faced" classical composers.


◆Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

Mendelssohn, who has been described as a "genius with no room for error," was not only a composer, conductor, and piano player, but also a brilliant watercolorist. His sketchbooks of his travels are filled with beautiful landscapes. His elegant touch is as if he were visualizing the music of "Italian Symphony" or "Scottish Symphony"!

His watercolors are so exquisite in their delicate colors and compositions that it is said that he "would have succeeded even if his main occupation had been painting. He is truly the poster child of art.


◆George Gershwin (1898-1937)

Gershwin is known for his "fusion of classical music and jazz. He is well known for "Rhapsody in Blue," but he was also a good painter! In addition to music, Gershwin enjoyed painting portraits and abstracts in oil.

His paintings have dynamic brushstrokes that somehow evoke the rhythm of jazz. His portraits of his close friends, composers Shostakovich and Stravinsky, are especially expressive, as if the music were flowing directly onto the canvas! Gershwin's paintings are like music flowing directly onto the canvas!


◆Edward Elgar (1857-1934)

Elgar, the English composer famous for "Dignity," was actually a very skilled painter. He was particularly good at drawing humorous caricatures and sketches, and comically illustrated the characters in his works.

He often thought of musical ideas as he sketched them out, and sometimes a cute doodle-like character would appear on the edge of a sheet of music. If he were alive today, he might have shown his talent not only as a musician but also as a "cartoonist Elgar"⁉


◆Alexander Borodin (1833-1887)

Borodin is famous for his works such as "On the Steppes of Central Asia," but he was a chemist by profession! Although he was a musician and a scientist, he was actually good at sketches and caricatures as well.

Many of his illustrations are humorous caricatures, ironically depicting events in the Russian music world of the time. If Borodin were alive today, he would probably be posting "four-frame cartoons of a musician's daily life" on Twitter.


◆Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)

Schoenberg is known as the "father of atonal music," but in fact he painted unique surrealist-style portraits and abstracts. His paintings are as innovative as his music, and are characterized by fantastic figures and mysterious shapes.

Schoenberg explored art alongside his compositions, leaving behind many self-portraits and portraits of his friends. If he had been around today, he might have presented avant-garde NFT art.


◆Mr. and Mrs. Schumann: Robert and Clara Schumann

Schumann, a Romantic composer, is known to be good at writing poetry and criticism, but he was also quite good at drawing. His notebooks are full of small sketches on scores, interspersed with musical ideas.

Especially his wife, Clara Schumann, also liked to draw sketches as well as music. A husband and wife who both enjoyed music and drawing is too romantic...!

Talents who have mastered both music and painting

It is clear that the classical composers were not just musicians, but comprehensive artists! If they were around today, they would be posting "composition x sketches" on Instagram and creating content combining music and painting on TikTok?

The next time I listen to a Mendelssohn symphony, I'll think of his watercolors. When I listen to Gershwin's jazz, I imagine his colorful oil paintings. If you do this, you may find the music more three-dimensional than usual!