Wassily Kandinsky, Cossacks, 1910-11. Tate, London Presented by Mrs Hazel McKinley 1938 © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2007 © Tate, London 2007

Narelle Doe sings and dances her way to Pallant House for an exhibition bursting with freedom and excitement.

Pallant House Gallery in Chichester has staged a summer exhibition that sings and dances across the walls.

The exhibition, Eye-Music: Kandinsky, Klee and all that Jazz, runs until September 16 2007 and explores the fascinating and complex relationship between art and music at the beginning of the 20th century, opening with the theory of literary critic Walter Pater - ‘All art constantly aspires towards the condition of music.’

The rooms, muted, minimalist and airy, are the perfect backdrop for paintings by abstract artists such as Paul Klee, Frantisek Kupka and Wassily Kandinsky, whose work leaps out at you in a bold rush of raw colour, disturbing the silence and hushed whispers which prevail over most art galleries.

John Tunnard, 1945, Ascension. Prof. Brian Whitton © Clody E. Norton

The most striking thing about the collection of paintings is the sense of freedom and excitement. Walking though the exhibition is a linear experience, the paintings flow like a music score from wall to wall, room to room.

These artists were at the forefront of modern art and a modern world, and were stimulated by a desire to emulate music because of its ability to evoke an emotional response independent of the material world.

Dissatisfied with their traditional role as imitators of nature, they rebelled against conformation and breathed new life into art, giving their work the freedom of pure self-expression.

The arrival of jazz in Europe inspired artists with its young, raw energy and syncopated rhythms, and many realised this wild improvisation was a technique that could be imitated in painting.

Piet Mondrian, Composition with Yellow, Blue and Red, 1937-42, oil on canvas, 72.7 x 69.2 cm, Tate, London © 2007 Mondrian/Holtzman Trust c/o HCR International Warrenton, VA © Tate, London 2007

The shape of a sound is an aspect of art not often explored and the result is a liberating visual feast designed to give you the chance to consider and reflect on the dramatic changes in art and common perceptions.

The thoughtful deep framing of some of the paintings, especially Piet Mondrian’s Composition with Yellow, Blue and Red, ensure they command the attention they loudly demand and deserve, compelling in their sheer boldness and liberating dynamics. These pieces of modern art make statements; they don’t just decorate wall space.

Joan Miro looks at the eloquence of silence in Sonatina I, and work by British artists such as John Tunnard and Alan Davie, both jazz musicians, graphically demonstrate the spirit of free-form jazz.

Tunnard’s Ascension conveys the struggle of muted musical instruments to such an extent that you can almost hear the unbearable tension emitting from the canvas. Lively dancing prints from Henri Matisse all add to the impressive and rich variety of artists on show.

The result is a visual and emotional expression of music with poetry and spirit in every frame.

Arnold Schönberg, Self-Portrait 1910. Arnold Schönberg Centre  DACS 2007 Vienna Arnold Schönberg Center

Modern art, especially abstract art, can sometimes be inaccessible and a theme visitors struggle with. The museum, fully aware of that, has clearly explained the inspiration of music, dance and movement upon the art, with further reasoning shown through examples of Kandinsky’s teaching classes at the Bauhaus, where he analysed pieces of music with his students, referring to it as the ‘inner sound’.

Music was not on the curriculum at Bauhaus but was used as a model to solve compositional problems and in their infamous performance workshops.

Kandinsky’s famous painting, Cossacks, is one example that particularly draws your attention and calls you back for more. The lyrical quality of the composition, the freshness of the colour and the liveliness of the brushstrokes keep enticing the eye to linger.

Paul Klee, 1924, Abstract Colour Harmony in Squares with Vermillion Accents, 1924. Staalische Museen zu Berlin, Nationalgalerie. Museum Berggruen © DACS 2007 © bpk/ Nationalgalerie, Museum Berggruen, SMB/ Jens Ziehe

The rhythm and spontaneity is infectious. The exhibition was busy and people were animated in discussing the paintings around them. Local primary school children were sprawled across the floor, happily crayoning away and having to be dragged reluctantly back to class. You could hear the music everywhere.

Further events are planned to coincide with the exhibition, including jazz evenings when musicians will de-mystify jazz for the enjoyment of all. This is an exhibition completely accessible to everyone, of all ages.

One visitor told me this museum was the best thing that has happened to Chichester. Another wrote in the comments book that they’ve been waiting for an exhibition like this for years. Well, they’ve got it. That’s surely something to make a song and dance about.