The extent to which aspects of both classic art and contemporary music took on different meanings when paired together amazed me. The withdrawn looks of the subjects became coy and knowing when I wondered what secrets they would reveal “if these walls could talk”, Haim’s defiant anthem of “baby, don’t save me” became the voice of women in French high society, and Nina Simone’s simple lament felt inspired by the Avenue de Chantilly. Where the more traditional music pairings became incidental, the contemporary pieces were in dialogue with the paintings, both resisting and conforming to the tone suggested by the music.
