In the case of both Rodrigo’s and Allen’s portraits, traditional elements of Baroque portraiture—the severe chiaroscuro lighting and moody color palette—create a stark contrast with their au courant clothing. Where Rodrigo’s vinyl sees the singer wearing a pink floral dress with an embellished Peter Pan collar, on Allen’s West End Girl cover, she’s in a voluminous blue and white polka-dot puffer, a lace-trimmed skirt, and knee-high polka-dot boots.
But no matter how contemporary the fashion or sound, by turning to fine artists—especially those whose oeuvres call back to the Old Masters—these singers remind us that music and fine art can transcend both time and technology. Even in her saccharine Peter Pan collar, Rodrigo contemplating the knife in her hand is a scene that could have played out hundreds of years ago: a woman anguished by love. Likewise, Allen’s outré coat aside, the pain of her crumbling marriage painted across her face is not unique to her.
Marc Burckhardt
It seems likely the 2020s’ contribution to sonic history will be defined by computer-generated sound—glitches, synths, and more autotune than one ever thought possible—and mark AI’s intractable entrance into the musical landscape. While many artists will surely continue to reject AI in their sound, their visuals can also signal a steadfast commitment to the human hand.
