Beethoven's Vision

In a dense, dark forest.
A man leans against a rugged rock.

His eyes are tightly shut. A man who has lost all external sounds due to an ear disease. He seems to be in despair, as if asleep.

But that's not the case. He is now listening to the surging music. Not with his ears, but with his "eyes."

The man's name is Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). As his hearing loss progressed, he was deprived of external sounds.

Silence. Only that remained. He left the city of Vienna. He fled to the Heiligenstadt Forest, where he found inspiration for his Symphony No. 6, 'Pastoral'.

A deep, deep forest. The noise of the city could no longer reach him. In that stillness, he confronted his solitude. He chose to protect his music, no matter what anyone said.

In 1882, the Austrian painter Rudolf Hausleithner completed this painting in Vienna. Measuring 117 cm high and 167 cm wide, the painter tackled a large canvas, attempting to visualize invisible sounds.

He was a court painter who also depicted Emperor Franz Joseph I. He was an elite artist who studied figure drawing from masters. That is why he was able to depict this mysterious scene.

Please look behind him. Goddesses emitting translucent light and spirits rise in a cluster. The rich drapery they wear.

These are the visions that comfort him. And at the same time, they are the very melodies resounding in his mind.