The painter, Hans Otto Boehm (known as HOB) was born on June 1, 1891 in Berlin, Germany. He worked in Berlin on set decoration, graphic arts and church window design. Beginning in 1912 he studied at the Psychological Research Society Hamburg (Hamburger Forschungsgesellschaft für Psychologie) where he later met Professor George Anschuetz whose interest was in “Color-Sound-Research.” The research focused on the interrelationship, which exists between color and sound.

Color is seen as living in space by expanding into all dimensions (height, width and depth). Sound can be experienced only in time. Fast or slow sequences of sounds in time or the long or short duration of sound is the element of music. One needs time to look at color in space and time consuming sound filling up the space. In “Painted Music,” the artist uses language (painting) in order to bring the heard and the hearable closer to us. HOB said, “I paint what I hear” as he introduced the first series of “Painted Music” in 1930.

With the rise to power of Hitler, HOB was denied permission to work in Germany and he was forced to leave the country. He emigrated to Brazil where he taught at the State School of Art in Rio de Janeiro and in Sao Paulo. While there, he exhibited yearly in the Museu National de Bellas Artes in Rio de Janeiro. In Sao Paulo he befriended Professor Joachim Koellreuter, professor of music with whom he continued his interest in color-sound research. In 1950, HOB returned to Europe with Professor Koellreuter to lecture on the relationship of color and sound. HOB married in Switzerland and decided to remain in Europe. He continued to paint in many different media and subject matters, and exhibited his work until his death on February 22, 1980.

A Short History of Painted Music

Painted Music and “Color-Sound-Research“

How Can Anyone Want to Paint Sound?