as if through a blind

A thought-provoking insert on the interdisciplinary work “Passion” in the course of Gottfried Helnwein's anniversary in 2024

Defining the term “reality” is a delicate matter. It becomes extremely intriguing when we also attempt to describe it in more detail. So let's start with a brief excursion into quantum physics. There, we currently speak of “undefined” or “neither” when observing or describing a physical state. Natural laws, whose eternally binding forces should determine all our lives, are currently undergoing a rigorous examination and may soon be abolished in order to generate spheres of thought that are still unimaginable for us today. Speechless and entranced, we marvel at the cognitive impossibilities in the infinite new possibilities. To the same extent, we are required to constantly question art, to break it down into its fragments and to re-form it, as its main purpose is to depict and describe an individual reality in a radically constructivist sense.

In our example, a new work of art is formed through the superimposed state of two genres: on the one hand in the paintings of Gottfried Helnwein and on the other in the musical composition of Gerd Hermann Ortler. The simultaneous presence of these two spheres of art forces the “recipient” to perceive a superimposition or simultaneity that perhaps most closely resembles a quantum-physical superposition. We perceive our environment, our history and everything real and unreal to a special degree through a work of art. It also influences our possibilities and has a direct influence on our existence in the form of a feedback loop. This undoubtedly leads to all kinds of fantastic mind games that can profoundly change the way we view our current state.

Art does not stand in opposition to reality, which is possibly nourished mainly by emotions and whose sole purpose is to create a parallel world for us, an escape from reality. The aim is actually to transform this, to make it tangible for us and to enrich it with our experiences. Art is, of course, also a scientifically fathomable phenomenon whose colorful characteristics make up a significant part of our socio-cultural constitution. Ultimately, as a formative element of reality, it has long offered us the opportunity to enter into a kind of superposition with its help. It opens up the possibility of looking into our past from one point of view, observing it, describing it and at the same time looking into our unknown and as yet unseen future. The result of such an observation is the work of art itself, i.e. the manifested interpretation of our subjective perception, which allows the recipient to penetrate and explore the fragments of another, alien world of feeling and thought. After all, the work of art is always impressive proof not only of intuition or instinct; no, it is, among other things, the evidence, cast in form, of our will to describe reality and everything that is unknown and beyond our comprehension. In all its facets and its constant change, art is a consistent testimony to our ability to establish relationships between ourselves and our environment. It is therefore also a measuring instrument that constantly adapts to changing circumstances, depicting the manifold fragments of our society, i.e. our reality, and making them universally visible. The work of art is then regarded as a reflection of reality and at the same time as a constantly changing tool for observing it.

In our specific case, the attempt to merge or at least juxtapose sound and image is absolutely nothing new in terms of its intrinsic motivation. The practical benefit of elevating a specific work of art into a different sphere through further “enrichment” is only understandable. The result is therefore more detailed and extensive and the resulting basic message is at best supported and expanded, at worst at least not completely undermined. Two genres are combined here which, as far as time is concerned, occupy different positions; on the one hand, music, whose destiny it is to need a beginning and an end. Music is created, sounds and begins to dissolve in order to resonate within us. On the other hand, there is the image that formally depicts and captures a moment for eternity. This superficial difference or even contradiction is the really exciting thing about the fusion of these two genres.

Wandering through the history of music, there are extremely vivid examples that describe this process, which is natural in the true sense of the word, in the most precise way. Among other things, Franz Schubert fuses his dramatic music for piano and voice with the eponymous ballad “Der Erlkönig” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. This composition is testimony to an excellent feel for the poetry of his time. This work of art was already considered a bravura piece during Schubert's lifetime and was instrumental in his recognition as an outstanding song composer. The ballad on which the song is based is extended by the music by a decisive possibility of reception and reveals a more complete picture and a more penetrating experience to the listener. In this case, the intention was to interweave both art forms in a harmonious way or to condense the basic lyrical material. Here it was obviously not desirable to create a tension between the two art forms. As listeners, we have the feeling that the two genres were made for each other. Inspired by this symbiosis, images emerge in our minds whose aspects inevitably enrich our existence. Put simply, this makes it more likely to take the listener on a remarkable journey. Schubert's songs, on the other hand, ultimately did not appeal to the musical tastes of the famous poet and playwright. Perhaps the poet found the sophisticated piano music too overwhelming for his ballads. From today's perspective, the “Goethe-Lieder” are considered a Gesamtkunstwerk* of the highest order, especially in our context.

*Klassik Stiftung Weimar, Blog; Interview with Hans Joachim Hinrichsen: “Schubert's song aesthetics did not correspond to Goethe's” September 15, 2016

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If the music is now supplemented by a visual stimulus, for example a picture, a further relationship of tension would inevitably arise. The inner image of our imagination then enters into a discourse with what actually exists. This interaction can be equally harmonious and dialogical as well as dissonant and contrapuntal. In any case, however, the image has an effect on the perception of our own reality and subsequently, of course, on the reception of the musical composition itself.

Sergei Rachmaninov was inspired by Arnold Böcklin's “The Isle of the Dead ”* for his symphonic poem of the same name. In this case, it is the relationship between sound and image that gives the listener a comprehensive and extremely captivating impression of the music. Now a clearly perceptible feedback loop develops from it, which in turn influences our viewing and interpretation of the painting. The music completes the painting and the painting completes the music. This interaction, from inspiration to information, i.e. from formulation and arrangement to reception and interpretation, has an effect on the recipient's observation and description of the work of art.

*“The Isle of the Dead” Painting in several versions (created from 1880 to 1886) by Arnold Böcklin (1827-1901)

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We can regard this realization as unconditional and perpetual proof that art is able to provide with ease: The fusion of different genres is a natural process that also nurtures the desire to depict something more clearly in order to enhance its actual impact. Poetry, which already carries the song within it, and music, whose depth is intensified by an image, are elevated to something new through their combination. They are not opposing aspects that are artfully brought together or fatefully brought together, no, rather they are the fragments of a wonderful whole, parts of a mosaic that truly belong together. A total work of art is created, not for the sake of it. The driving force is probably the perpetual attempt to get to the bottom of the mysteries of our existence and to depict them comprehensively with all their contradictions in reality. So, through the various arts and their fusion, we ultimately refine our view of our lives and ourselves. The work of art can therefore also be both a manifestation and a source of inspiration. Thus, only the sketch for a painting (Böcklin - The Isle of the Dead) was sufficient to create a fantastic symphonic work, the existence of which harmoniously completes the painting that was later completed in several versions. Of course, both works are remarkable in their own right, but they only reveal their special magic through their magical interplay.

“Passion” now also attempts to create a multi-layered work of art in this sense. Gottfried Helnwein's hyper-realistic works set the basic tone, and the stirring visual language brings the themes of our past and present into direct focus. The cornerstones and foundations of our multifaceted existence begin to waver and become fragile. New images emerge in our imagination, which, driven by our understanding of truth, ethics and morality, continue to nourish and develop. This process is now supported by music. Gerd Hermann Ortler places two complementary elements alongside the change that is still taking place within us; firstly the title “Passion”, i.e. the formative framework that inevitably arises at the beginning, and secondly, of course, the music itself. The Passion, the suffering or endurance up to redemption or a rebirth, determines through our expectations a space in which Gottfried Helnwein's pictures can now unfold their full effect. The music completes and enriches the result of the interpretation through its clear arrangement and places the images in a relationship to each other. The musical power also succeeds in contextualizing the individual parts or “stations” and, through the clear choice of the clarinet and tuba instruments, in extracting figural elements from the images and transferring their movement into the music and continuing it. This aspect, in turn, particularly moves the childlike in us. An elegant and infantile buoyancy (clarinet) contrasts with a ponderous heaviness (tuba). The constantly extracting distances are taken up, held together and consolidated by a sensitively grounded string quartet. The music is able to unobtrusively and captivatingly repair the emotional upheavals caused by the disturbing images, as if it were both the cause and the solution. The viewer and listener are ultimately presented with a multimedia event that can leave a lasting and profound echo and that dissolves the boundaries of disciplines and unites all the components into a living whole: a new work of art consisting of two complementary parts. The starting point underlying this symbiosis of works ultimately reveals itself in a particularly emphatic way. Image and sound have finally merged in an artful way, as if each genre had sprung from the other.

A work of art can also serve as a source of inspiration for a new one, which makes use of the previously chosen genre of representation or description and continues or characterizes it in a new way. The actual basic theme is automatically subjected to a multi-layered interpretation through this creative process. This approach ultimately combines several characteristics that must have a greater resonance with the viewer. By combining several genres, we are able to discover new things and not just interpret the familiar. Appealing to several senses at the same time gives the recipient easier access to the work of art and a clearer resonance. In principle, this development is absolutely natural and constantly generates new artistic fields of activity. A striking example of this would be music videos. The origins of this interlocking of music and image date back to the end of the 19th century and bear witness to a symbiosis of art and technology. Silent moving images, colored or black and white, were accompanied by music performed by singers, instrumentalists and ensembles. This newly created medium enjoyed particular popularity and revealed new paths that artists and art itself could not ignore and whose influence can still be felt today.

The “artist of the future ”* called for by Richard Wagner has long been a reality; perhaps not necessarily in the final analysis as a multi-talented person united in one person, but rather as individualists united in a work of art, whose common aspirations are carried by their personal artistic contribution and intertwined in a "Gesamtkunstwerk". This process leaves us astonished and, incidentally, is not to be expected from an artificial intelligence (AI) so quickly. Each art form functions as a specific instrument that describes a state of existence and reality in a particular way. If we combine several of these instruments into a whole, the degree of approximation will inevitably change. Intuitively, we have long since recognized and refined this in art. The synergy of different art forms is probably as old as art itself.

*Richard Wagner: “Poems and Writings” 1849-1852, Volume 6 Insel Verlag, First Edition 1983

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At a time when we humans are entering into a contrast with artificial intelligence, “Passion” is an important artistic contribution for this very reason. Through AI, we are beginning to fragment ourselves and outsource parts of our being and our talents. We are willingly handing over areas of our creativity and our destiny to machines and not replacing them sufficiently. This development is now revealing a fundamental and greatly accelerated discourse about our humanity and the authenticity of art. What else can we extract and hand over without permanently damaging the “statics” of the human artistic being? A necessarily idealistic urge to want to depict life in all its facets stands in contrast to current applications, whose sole purpose is to generate empty and distorted recombinations from existing works of art. The actual purpose, namely to observe and utilize inner processes, is thus lost. In this sense, “Passion” is also a symbol for a complexity and plurality in life and in art itself, which is possibly threatening to slip further and further away from us. The childlike view of this magical life and the world is probably the most unadulterated. To continue to brutally sacrifice this must concern us and we must by no means be indifferent to it.

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Ronald Göd, 2024

Sources:

Klassik Stiftung Weimar, Blog; Interview with Hans Joachim Hinrichsen: “Schubert's song aesthetics

did not correspond to Goethe's” September 15, 2016

“The Isle of the Dead” Painting in several versions (created from 1880 to 1886) by Arnold Böcklin (1827-1901)

Richard Wagner: “Poems and Writings” 1849-1852, Volume 6, Insel Verlag, first edition 1983

“Passion” - piece of music by Gerd Hermann Ortler (in fragmentary form) - 2023

Arnold Böcklin: “Die Toteninsel” Analysis and interpretation by Stefanie Breitzke, Grin Verlag