Chopin prelude 15 “raindrops”

This painting was inspired by Chopin’s Prelude No. 15, commonly known as the Raindrop Prelude. It is the second work in my ongoing project of translating piano music into painting.

While playing this piece, I began to

see a forest in the rain. At first, the rain is gentle—small, delicate drops that come and go, echoing the quiet and intermittent rhythm of the music. As the piece develops, however, the atmosphere changes. The music enters a much darker and more intense passage, and in my imagination, the forest also becomes deep and dark.

Yet within this darkness, there is a sudden, sharp sound that I have always felt as a glimpse of hope—a ray of light showing a way out. In the painting, I represented this as an opening beyond the forest.

For me, the forest also became a metaphor for life. We pass through periods of darkness and difficulty, but even within them there are small moments of beauty and joy—the pink and yellow flowers scattered along the way. And beyond the darkness, there is light, hope, and the possibility of fully enjoying life again.

I do not know if this is what Chopin himself intended to express. It is simply what I see and feel when I play his music. This painting is my way of translating that personal musical experience from sound into colour, texture, and light.