Dear reader,

The tour has continued on to Philadelphia. It is in this city that the concept of Here on Tour came to me, I mobilized my studio, and began to score these paintings with zeal and fervency.

1. CITY: Philadelphia, PA

2. MUSEUM: Philadelphia Museum of Art

3. PAINTING: Seated Pink Nude

4. ARTIST: Henri Matisse

5. OBSERVATION DATE: Nov 10, 2022

1. CITY: Pittsburgh, PA

2. SINEPRINT: Omni William Penn Hotel

3. AUDIO SKETCH: On the Mother, for Matisse

4. COMPOSER: Niles Luther

5. CREATION DATE: Nov 24, 2022

My experience at the Philadelphia Museum of Art was typified by bustle and frustration. I initially went on Thursday, and although I only saw the Matisse exhibit, I did find Seated Pink Nude, a painting which I loved.

When I returned on Sunday to try and see the painting again, as well as explore the rest of the museum, they unfortunately would not let me in. It was 16:31. The museum closed at 17:00. I had just come from performing and this was my last chance to see this art. I was so desperate to gaze, so desperate to be enveloped, to be held by the stark white walls and vaulted ceilings; the environment I feel most comfortable in, the space that feels like home.

Perhaps that’s why Seated Pink Nude spoke to me at the exclusion of the other Matisse masterworks. It felt warm, embracing, motherly.

Here on tour, however, I have no home. That sense of tranquility I felt as I gazed at the brushstroke, as the stillness of the space washed over me… it was cleansing. I was held. I was at peace.

I was also, quite unfortunately, very rushed and there was no time to bask in repose.

The absolutely overwhelming logistics of trying to mobilize my composition studio for tour had me traveling to and from Manhattan on multiple occasions. Thankfully, each trip brought me closer to completion.

I took the Amtrak from Philly to New Jersey to pick up my car, then drove to Connecticut to pick up my studio gear. I drove to Manhattan where I bought travel cases at B&H Photo, drove them down to Philly, drove back to NY to switch them out for larger ones, drove them back to Philly, drove back to New Jersey to drop off my car, then took the Amtrak back to Philly. I had literally never been so tired than I was the night of November 13th, when I did not sleep, burning the midnight oil as I meticulously customized my new Pelican case's trademark pick-n-pluck foam.

This small sacrifice of time has paled in comparison to the creative freedom it has afforded me!

Despite the shenanigans at the museum entrance, I still found one painting, and I am grateful that it touched me. I do wish I could see it again.

I wonder how images and experiences impact our consciousness.. does exposure time affect the depth of impact? Can you glimpse something but only for a short while and carry it with you forever?

https://nilesluther.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Seated-Pink-Nude-Approach.mp4?height=200&width=200&autoplay=true&loop=true&muted=true&controls=true

I wonder what specific experiences make it into the amalgam of a being… what gets filtered and what remains? Do we have a choice in this matter? If my attention is called forth by an image that I see, is it I that sees or is it the image that is being seen?

What is my relationship with Seated Pink Nude?

The stark look of Seated Pink Nude is a clue to Matisse's working method. Changes and corrections, the visible signs of the artist's process, are laid bare on its surface. Matisse once remarked, "People often add or superpose—completing things without changing their plan, whereas I rework my plan every time. I never get tired. I start again, working from the previous state."

Musée National d’Art Moderne-Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, AM 2001-215

Wall text for Seated Pink Nude. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania

The following music NFT is my initial response to Henri Matisse's Seated Pink Nude, recorded on November 24, 2022 via voice memo at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, PA. The cover art is a sineprint (a graphed room frequency response) of my room in the hotel.

https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0x278246a8239f998ddcdd347b2eb8bcdd2a69841e/2

This audio sketch and response come from the feeling of warmth I get as I look at the painting. Its hard not to imprint on the work memories of my mother and the attendant care, consideration, and safety she provided to my siblings and me when we were growing up. My aim was for the music to be simple, sweet, and unadulterated. While the theory of what I’m doing never quite occurs to me in the moment of creation, a circle of fifths progression felt like the best choice to accomplish the aim of purity.

While I’m legally within my right to score this work, and also post images of the work in these entries as journalistic commentary, I’m not sure if I can legally sell an NFT with an image of the painting as the thumbnail/cover. This is due to copyright law and the painting quite possibly still being intellectually protected property. Nevertheless, I will still score it, even if it won't be listed for sale.

That’s all for now.

Most sincerely, Niles Luther

https://nilesluther.com/

Dear reader,

The tour has continued on to Philadelphia. It is in this city that the concept of Here on Tour came to me, I mobilized my studio, and began to score these paintings with zeal and fervency.

1. CITY: Philadelphia, PA

2. MUSEUM: Philadelphia Museum of Art

3. PAINTING: Seated Pink Nude

4. ARTIST: Henri Matisse

5. OBSERVATION DATE: Nov 10, 2022

1. CITY: Pittsburgh, PA

2. SINEPRINT: Omni William Penn Hotel

3. AUDIO SKETCH: On the Mother, for Matisse

4. COMPOSER: Niles Luther

5. CREATION DATE: Nov 24, 2022

My experience at the Philadelphia Museum of Art was typified by bustle and frustration. I initially went on Thursday, and although I only saw the Matisse exhibit, I did find Seated Pink Nude, a painting which I loved.

When I returned on Sunday to try and see the painting again, as well as explore the rest of the museum, they unfortunately would not let me in. It was 16:31. The museum closed at 17:00. I had just come from performing and this was my last chance to see this art. I was so desperate to gaze, so desperate to be enveloped, to be held by the stark white walls and vaulted ceilings; the environment I feel most comfortable in, the space that feels like home.

Perhaps that’s why Seated Pink Nude spoke to me at the exclusion of the other Matisse masterworks. It felt warm, embracing, motherly.

Here on tour, however, I have no home. That sense of tranquility I felt as I gazed at the brushstroke, as the stillness of the space washed over me… it was cleansing. I was held. I was at peace.

I was also, quite unfortunately, very rushed and there was no time to bask in repose.

The absolutely overwhelming logistics of trying to mobilize my composition studio for tour had me traveling to and from Manhattan on multiple occasions. Thankfully, each trip brought me closer to completion.

I took the Amtrak from Philly to New Jersey to pick up my car, then drove to Connecticut to pick up my studio gear. I drove to Manhattan where I bought travel cases at B&H Photo, drove them down to Philly, drove back to NY to switch them out for larger ones, drove them back to Philly, drove back to New Jersey to drop off my car, then took the Amtrak back to Philly. I had literally never been so tired than I was the night of November 13th, when I did not sleep, burning the midnight oil as I meticulously customized my new Pelican case's trademark pick-n-pluck foam.

This small sacrifice of time has paled in comparison to the creative freedom it has afforded me!

Despite the shenanigans at the museum entrance, I still found one painting, and I am grateful that it touched me. I do wish I could see it again.

I wonder how images and experiences impact our consciousness.. does exposure time affect the depth of impact? Can you glimpse something but only for a short while and carry it with you forever?

https://nilesluther.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Seated-Pink-Nude-Approach.mp4?height=200&width=200&autoplay=true&loop=true&muted=true&controls=true

I wonder what specific experiences make it into the amalgam of a being… what gets filtered and what remains? Do we have a choice in this matter? If my attention is called forth by an image that I see, is it I that sees or is it the image that is being seen?

What is my relationship with Seated Pink Nude?

The stark look of Seated Pink Nude is a clue to Matisse's working method. Changes and corrections, the visible signs of the artist's process, are laid bare on its surface. Matisse once remarked, "People often add or superpose—completing things without changing their plan, whereas I rework my plan every time. I never get tired. I start again, working from the previous state."

Musée National d’Art Moderne-Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, AM 2001-215

Wall text for Seated Pink Nude. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania

The following music NFT is my initial response to Henri Matisse's Seated Pink Nude, recorded on November 24, 2022 via voice memo at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, PA. The cover art is a sineprint (a graphed room frequency response) of my room in the hotel.

https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0x278246a8239f998ddcdd347b2eb8bcdd2a69841e/2

This audio sketch and response come from the feeling of warmth I get as I look at the painting. Its hard not to imprint on the work memories of my mother and the attendant care, consideration, and safety she provided to my siblings and me when we were growing up. My aim was for the music to be simple, sweet, and unadulterated. While the theory of what I’m doing never quite occurs to me in the moment of creation, a circle of fifths progression felt like the best choice to accomplish the aim of purity.

While I’m legally within my right to score this work, and also post images of the work in these entries as journalistic commentary, I’m not sure if I can legally sell an NFT with an image of the painting as the thumbnail/cover. This is due to copyright law and the painting quite possibly still being intellectually protected property. Nevertheless, I will still score it, even if it won't be listed for sale.

That’s all for now.

Most sincerely, Niles Luther

https://nilesluther.com/