The most famous portrait of Beethoven has coloured our view of his personality and appearance unlike any other. It has thus added to the "myth" which has grown up around the composer. Stieler's idealized and heroized depiction of the composer has also captured Beethoven's creative genius. It is therefore not surprising that this portrait still most often serves as the basis for reproductions of the composer (even for Andy Warhol). One might suppose that the idealized depiction was the result of alienation and even possibly embarrassment, as the painter was not able to reach the composer. But in fact the opposite is true. From Beethoven's conversation books we know that Stieler was permitted four sittings between February and April 1820. This "concession" - Beethoven considered such sittings to be a kind of penance - was not only due to Stieler's artistic ability but also to Franz and Antonie Brentano, who commissioned the portrait. Beethoven was happy to grant them this concession as he had been close to them since 1809 and once referred to them as his "best friends in the world". (http://www.beethoven-haus-bonn.de/sixcms/detail.php?id=41858&template=&_mid=39080) Stieler's depiction shaped the perception developed by the broad public during the 19th and 20th century regarding the personality and the physical appearance of Beethoven. In the eyes of the ensuing ages, the painter also captured the creative genius of the composer in his idealistic portrait. The painting was created on commission by the married couple Franz and Antonie Brentano, who had been friends of Beethoven since around 1810. Beethoven's conversation [sic] books give rather detailed information on the origins of the painting. The composer was sitting for the painter four times - a very unusual high number of sittings, since Beethoven is said to have been unable to sit still. Stieler's portrait of Beethoven distinguishes itself above all through two novel elements. First of all - in contrast to all other contemporary paintings - it shows the composer while he is performing his art. Beethoven is holding a pen and seems to be working on the Credo of his "Missa solemnis". The face of the manuscript he is holding says: "Missa solemnis / From D # (# stands for Major)"; on the page facing the composer, the word "Credo" can be recognized. Further on, Stieler shows the view to a forest landscape in the background and by doing this, he - for the first time - combines a portrait of Beethoven with the romantic motif of nature. Beethoven's well-known love of nature and his famous "Sinfonia pastoral" op.68, with its haunting musical description of nature, provided him the biographical clues for such a depiction. Both motifs - "Beethoven composing" and "Beethoven in nature" - became very popular during the further course of the 19th and 20th century, and until today, fine artists again and again were depicting those motifs.(S.B.) (http://www.beethoven-haus-bonn.de/sixcms/detail.php?id=15164&template=dokseite_digitales_archiv_en&_eid=1506&_ug=Halbfigur&_mid=Bilder und Objekte&_eid=1506&_dokid=i537&_eid=1506&_seite=1) It has been said that Beethoven's patience ran out before Stieler could finishing portraying his hands, so he painted those from memory. ( Read more: http://mypetarts.blogspot.com/2016_09_08_archive.html#ixzz4ОлжнКиис)