Music has been an important theme in art for many centuries. Egyptian kings had musical themed images painted on the walls in their tombs to accompany them through eternity. Today the visual and performing arts remain closely linked. The emotional impact and cultural significance of music and the visual interest of instruments and sheet music have made musical themes a popular vehicle for artistic expression. At ARTinaClick.com we feature artists in a diverse range of media and styles for whom music has been an inspiration. Lena Liu was born in Taiwan and came to the United States in 1970 to study architecture before beginning a career in painting in 1977. Musical themes are evident in much of her work, which includes a range of mediums. ARTinaClick.com offers limited edition prints by this artist. Marsha Hammel's jazz musicians are sure to please the music lover. Sultry portraits of drummers, pianists and string ensembles are created with the spontaneity and urgency inspired by the subject and developed by filling many sketchbooks with drawings. Israeli born Nissan Engel describes his own work as "abstract lyricism". Taking full advantage of the aesthetic beauty and elegance of old sheet music, he creates his visually tantalizing images in a multitude of media. Also included in ArtinaClick.com's roster of fine artist is Charlotte, NC native Romare Bearden. Jazz, blues, and European painting inspire his compositions. His mature collage style, characterized by compositions of movement enhanced by the juxtaposition of color and layered shapes, lends itself to his musical subjects. Musical instruments were frequently included in the development of Cubism. Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque began to collage printed material, including sheet music, and textured surfaces to the paintings. By combining the layering of actual objects with painted objects and text, the artist challenged the viewer to decipher diverse means of representation. This established a new visual language to interpret the changing modern world in the first half of the 20th Century.

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