© The Samuel Courtauld Trust, The Courtauld Gallery, London
The colour blue is very special to me. I don’t know how you feel but there is something in it that lets me sink into it. It lets me connect to myself.
In the year 1907 Rainer Maria Rilke visited a memorial exhibition of works by Cézanne in Paris. For Rilke Cézanne had a major influence on his poetry. After Cézanne’s death he ”followed his traces everywhere.” In his ‘letters on Cézanne’ to his wife, Rilke compares different kinds of blue. Cézanne’s ”very unique blue” he also describes with ”listening blue”. Above you see ”Lac d’Annecy” by Cézanne.
Listen to Mozart’s ‘March of the Priests’ while taking a look at Cézanne’s painting:
In his letters Rilke mentions also other kinds of blue.
For instance Van Gogh’s style of blue he describes as a ”self-contained blue” and a ”full of revolte, Blue, Blue, Blue”.
Look at Van Gogh’s ‘Starry night over the Rhone’ while listening to Mozart’s overture to his ‘Magic Flute’:
To me Mozart’s music contains very much blue.
When I listen to his music, I can hear an endless variety of blue.
It is something very warm in it that lets me feel at home.
What do you feel?