Bach Fugue No. 5 1949

Frank Mason made this painting, Bach Fugue No. 5, with oil on canvas, and the making of it seems very much akin to how Bach composed his music – a layering of elements that create a complete environment. The paint application looks quite thin, almost like watercolour, and the colours are blended and softened, creating a sense of light and atmosphere. Notice how Mason uses colour and light to direct our gaze, using the darker areas to frame the lighter areas of the piece. The book of sheet music, for instance, seems to be a main focus of the painting, illuminated by an unseen light source. Look at the way Mason renders the shadows. See how they soften the edges of forms, and create a sense of depth and volume. This painting seems to me to be a conversation with the old masters of the still life genre, Chardin for instance, someone else who was very interested in the way light shapes our perception, and how art can embrace ambiguity.