Hans Richter. Fugue (Fuge). 1920

Hans Richter Fugue (Fuge) 1920

  • Not on view

As in a musical score, the passage of time is symbolically represented in a movement from left to right in the drawing's extended horizontal format that was partly influenced by Chinese scroll painting. At the suggestion of Italian composer Ferruccio Busoni, Richter had listened to J.S. Bach in order to explore the musical concept of counterpointthat is the harmonic composition of two or more simultaneous melodies. The interlocked shapes of this drawing are arranged on varying levels much like the upper or lower voices in a fugue.

Gallery label from Making Music Modern: Design for Ear and Eye, November 15, 2014–January 17, 2016.
Medium
Pencil on paper
Dimensions
18 1/2 x 110" (47.0 x 279.4 cm)
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Irvin Shapiro
Object number
251.1954
Copyright
© 2021 Hans Richter
Department
Drawings and Prints

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