Final answer:
The composer Modest Mussorgsky evokes a grand and celebratory image in the finale of 'Pictures at an Exhibition', akin to how viewers might experience varied emotions before works of visual art like Whistler's Nocturne or Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights.
Step-by-step explanation:
The composer in Pictures at an Exhibition evokes a grand image in the last and longest piece called "The Great Gate of Kiev." This piece is inspired by an architectural design for a city gate to commemorate Tsar Alexander II's survival of an assassination attempt.
Musically, it conjures up the majestic and celebratory atmosphere of a grand entrance, replete with bells chiming a common Orthodox motif and powerful chords that suggest the enormity of the gates themselves. Importantly, while this description captures the essence intended by composer Modest Mussorgsky, the imagery and emotions it evokes can be as varied for listeners as the interpretations of James Abbott McNeill Whistler's paintings are for museum-goers.
Whistler's Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket is an example of art that leaves interpretation open to the audience, suggesting that just like a piece of music, visual art can evoke different emotions and thoughts in each viewer. Similarly, the fantastical elements in The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch, which portrays a dream-like world, evoke the sense of wandering in an otherworldly place, leaving much to personal interpretation. Just as these artworks stimulate diverse reactions, so too does Mussorgsky's composition through its bold and evocative musical depiction.