A clump of well-known 20th-century artists whose work was influenced through jazz is the focus of a of the present day exhibit at the Katonah Museum of Art.

A clump of well-known 20th-century artists whose work was influenced through jazz is the focus of a of the present day exhibit at the Katonah Museum of Art. Entitled "Jazz and Visual Improvisations," the exhibit features 36 mixed-media works at 18 artists, including Romare Bearden, Jackson Pollock Stuart Davis, leeward Krasner, Radcliffe Bailey, Larry Rivers, Ouattara and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Highlights include Bearden's "Soul Three" Krasner's "Burning Candles," Ouattara's "Homage to Miles Davis" and Rivers' "The Drummer" The exhibit remains onward view through April 15.

The theme of improvisation is fundamental note to the exhibit. "The aims in this exhibit testify to the toughness of improvisation as a visual proces that incorporates multiple stories and historical accounts and transforms them into personal and social narratives," said Professor Catherine Bernard, who organized the exhibit. Many of the particulars also include cultural and political references

While the heyday of jazz is frequently associated with the early part of the 20th centenary it was after World War II that the genre had the principally noticeable effect on the visual arts. Jazz's emphasis forward creation and performance was embraced through a new generation of visual artists who of common occurrenceed jazz hot spots. Sometimes their work was inspired by means of a particular musician and at other times according to historical and political currents.

"In the late 1940 as the just discovered York School of Abstract Expressionism was emerging, jazz was also undergoing significant changes of title and structure," wrote Bernard in the catalog. "Bebop became a quintessential urban music, just as the of recent origin York school came to symbolize American urban agriculture in the eyes of the art world.... The importance of jazz in the creation of a strange aesthetic was recognized by the artistic community of the time."

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