Beethoven

Beethoven

Whilst Beethoven’s music is much lauded, studied and played little serious attention is given to his paintings. Beethoven was a true ‘renaissance’ man and not just in the arts. Apparently few who tasted his Macaroni Cheese could ever eat again without a slight melancholic wistfulness. However it is on his paintings that we wish focus. Beethoven was a highly talented and prolific artist producing up to three new canvases a month. His primary medium was oils although a few early gauche sketches exist in some minor European museums.

Many people know that in his later years Beethoven became deaf but few know that he was colour blind from birth. This had a dramatic impact on his palette and resulted in a highly visceral approach to his subjects. The other major challenge that shaped his work was his complete inability to draw or paint chickens. Now whilst some people would have pursued an art that removed the need to paint the aforementioned bird Beethoven typically faced the issue head on.

In his canvas ‘The Laughing Chicken’ we see him fighting with both composition and on this occasion attempting to produce a reasonable facsimile of the traditional Deutsche Reichshühne hen. In ‘Chicken at Bay’ the hills and background are quite startling in their quality but this is almost totally overshadowed by the quite appalling Westfälische Totleger pullet in the foreground.

Perhaps his most renowned painting is the classic ‘Mona Buff Orpington’ much loved by biscuit manufacturers. Here, for the first time, he seems to capture the essence of 'chicken'. Certainly there is something about the beak that is quite enigmatic. Rumours persist that the chicken was painted by his musical rival Steibelt although no evidence exists. That said it is still quite a favourite amongst short sighted farmers.

In these days where we now look beyond the disability I believe it is time to look again at the Beethoven canon and admire his talents as an artist and not just as a musician.

Note

The Exhibition ‘Why Couldn’t Beethoven Paint Bloody Chickens (1790-1826)’ opens on November 18 and runs until January 26 at the Falbarne Gallery, Smethic. The book to accompany the exhibition – ‘How to Jump Start at Datsun Cherry’ is available from the gallery, Wilkinsons, Robert Dyer and a bookshop near Melton Mowbray (where the author’s Mother now lives)