Ab+ - Variation 1 — Watercolor on Paper by Arnaud Quercy

About This Artwork

This watercolor explores the Ab+ augmented chord through chromesthetic translation, converting musical harmony into visual relationships. Part of the Synesthetic Explorations collection, the work investigates how augmented triads create tension through their equal interval structure, translating the chord's instability into color interactions that mirror its harmonic properties.

The composition centers on white tones that dominate the surface, with yellow-orange areas creating substantial presence throughout the middle ground. Green tones occupy significant portions of the upper composition, while gray elements provide structural anchors in darker values. A red-orange accent appears as a small but vital point of contrast, creating the visual equivalent of harmonic tension. The colors organize themselves through geometric forms and linear elements that suggest musical staff notation, with vertical lines and circular shapes creating rhythmic patterns across the paper surface.

This work measures 16.0 × 24.0 cm on paper and carries certificate of authenticity number 20240718-0176. The artist's signature appears at the bottom right of the composition. The piece translates the specific notes Ab, C, and E into their chromesthetic equivalents, demonstrating how augmented chords create visual instability through their equal division of the octave. The watercolor technique allows colors to interact through transparent layering, mimicking how musical tones blend in harmonic structures.