Visual art is one of the most easily perceived and understood modes of aesthetic expression due to the accessibility of the medium and the vast opportunities for using both cultural shorthand and nuanced visual techniques to represent specific ideas. Remarkably, even though being quite still, the art of painting is perfectly capable of capturing the beauty and elegance of movements due to a combination of various artistic techniques. However, rarely does the visual medium manage to convey the emotional impact of music since capturing sound as an extremely elusive phenomenon is barely impossible in a painting. Nevertheless, Adolph Menzel in his “Flute Concert with Frederick the Great in Sanssouci” manages to render the emotional impact of music impeccably, creating the sense of grandeur that the concert represented and encapsulating the emotional power of the musical piece itself with the help of an exquisite use of value, space, and color.
The remarkable use of value is the most evident and remarkable part of the painting. Instead of shedding light on the entire scene, Menzel places the performer in the limelight while keeping the audience and the rest of the room in the shadow. While obviously simple, the specified idea adds to the mystery of the painting, as well as its solemn atmosphere, therefore, conveying the significance of the performance to the viewer. Indeed, delving into the history of the painting and researching the authors’ intent, one will realize that the specified art piece is supposed to represent a music lesson for a member of the royal family. Therefore, the use of the chiaroscuro technique as the tool for creating a solemn and ceremonious setting is completely justified. Moreover, placing the performer in the focus of the painting, Menzel introduced a special meaning into his painting, outlining not only his role in the performance but also his emotions and character. Specifically, the artist’s focus on the performance and his fascination with music leap out of the picture. The lighting in the picture also helps to emphasize his pose, namely, the fact that it is not stiff but, instead, lively and flexible. As a result, the painting gains the ability to represent motion, which helps the artist to move beyond the boundaries set by the chosen medium and portray the beauty of movement as well.
Likewise, the use of space is worth noticing as one of the essential tools that Menzel used to express the conveyed emotion and focus on the performer’s fascination with music. While the background of the picture is quite cluttered, with the entire audience being shifted to the sides of the painting, the scene at the forefront is quite spacious. The use of space in the center of the painting allows it to breathe and creates the additional impression of grandeur and scale of the picture. Thus, the magnificence of the environment is amplified, and the overall significance of the performer’s work is reinforced.
Finally, the way in which color is integrated into the painting is worth discussing. Painted in warm yellow and brown colors, the picture becomes especially festive and solemn. The use of red color to mark several spots in the picture could be seen as random at first, yet further analysis will show that the specified choice has clear reasoning behind it. Namely, the application of warm and deep red colors into the art piece completes the composition, contrasting with the dark and almost black elements of it. As a result, the painting gains an additional sense of coziness that, combined with the overall grandeur and solemn atmosphere, makes the painting unique. The lack of blue colors allows enhancing this sense of warmth and coziness that the painting conveys, which is further emphasized by the prevalence of yellow colors in the picture. Moreover, the location of the specified colors within the general color scheme helps to complete the painting and shape it into a unique structure. Namely, with yellow colors being placed in the center of the picture, blue ones framing it from the sides, and red ones marking several spots to create a unique pattern, the picture stops being a still, unmovable image and, instead, gains the sense of motion and a clear plot. Thus, Menzel manages to create an art piece that combines motion and sound, recreated with the masterful use of various painting techniques.
By introducing the effective use of chiaroscuro combined with exquisite and energetic brushstrokes, as well as the presence of warm colors and the use of space to reinforce the impression of grandeur and scale, Adolph Menzel managed to capture the emotional power of a musical performance in his “Flute Concert with Frederick the Great in Sanssouci.” The painting encapsulates the magic of a music performance perfectly, representing its mystery and the effort that an artist puts into creating music. With its solemn and festive atmosphere, the painting transports the viewer to a different time, portraying the culture and traditions of the bygone era and, thus, offering a unique emotional experience.