Ludwig van Beethoven
by BOURDELLE, Émile-Antoine, Bronze, 68 x 34 x 35 cm (with plinth)
Between 1887 and 1929, Bourdelle created 45 sculptures and many drawings and watercolours of Ludwig van Beethoven. Whereas the earlier works, produced in the late 1880s, were quite traditional in appearance, those created after 1901 are rougher and more disturbing. The present version, presented at the 1903 Salon in Paris, shows Beethoven with a serious, introverted expression. The wild hair surrounding his head is the first indication of the extreme, rugged forms of the following variations.
Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 6 minutes):
Ludwig van Beethoven: Die Gesch�pfe des Prometheus (The Creatures of Prometheus), overture op. 43