EDWARD PRAMUK: SEEING MUSIC

May 17-July 14, 2013

Edward Pramuk: Seeing Music featured 36 of Herman Leonard's striking black-and-white photographs, more than two dozen of Edward Pramuk's musical-themed paintings, drawings, and mixed-media collages.

Just as jazz photographer Herman Leonard was captivated by the ambiance of smoke-laced jazz clubs, so too was painter Edward Pramuk, LSU professor emeritus and resident of Baton Rouge. 

Although widely known for his colorful abstracted paintings, Pramuk's music-inspired collages and paintings are striking. Pramuk expresses the nuances of musicians' lives, their lyrics, and sounds, with a firm grasp on musical theory and a finely-tuned ear. Pramuk's jazz collage series, which feature Louisiana jazz greats, is a celebration of the lives and achievements of the musicians, framed around the works of great painters and artists. His paintings and drawings, mainly focusing on the significance of the piano, showcase the instrumental force and emotion behind music. 

Legendary jazz musician Duke Ellington once said, "It don't mean a thing it if ain't got that swing." Herman Leonard's stunning photographs and Edward Pramuk's paintings and collages indeed have that "swing." 

These exhibitions were made possible in part by Louisiana Machinery Co., LSU College of Art+Design, The Robinson Family, and Jeff and Leah McLain.