Beethoven

A face juts forward against a blood-red background, both eerie and passionate.
Wild, turbulent curls.
And a fierce, piercing gaze that strikes directly at the viewer.
It is Ludwig van Beethoven.

It may appear as the very archetype of the dramatic, "tormented genius."
The mythic hero that people of that era envisioned Beethoven to be.
One might assume the artist conjured this face entirely from exaggerated imagination.

Yet in truth, the underlying bone structure of this face is no mere figment of artistic fancy.

Stuck created this relief sculpture between 1900 and 1902.
The year 1902 marked the 75th anniversary of Beethoven's death.
At the time, the fervor of the "Beethoven cult" in Germany and Austria had reached its peak.
It was a movement celebrating him as an absolute genius of creation.
Stuck himself was an ardent participant in this collective adoration.

He sought to adorn the music salon of Villa Stuck, the residence he designed himself.
He conceived a cycle of portraits depicting the great men who had guided humanity.
This Beethoven was designed as part of that decorative wall ensemble.