Three Questions to: Esteban von Wilhelm

1. When the name Ludwig van Beethoven is mentioned, what comes to your mind?

When I hear the name Ludwig van Beethoven I think of an indomitable genius, a spirit that did not submit to his fate. I think of that inner strength that transforms pain into beauty and limitation into a universal language. For me, Beethoven embodies the radical freedom of the creator – someone who heard the essential even in deepest silence and transformed it into timeless works. His name stands for courage, intensity, and absolute fidelity to one's own artistic calling.

2. What connects you with the life and work of Beethoven, or not?

I share with Beethoven the experience of creating out of adversity. He composed some of his most significant works in complete deafness; I paint large-format pictures in complete darkness, after losing my right eye, guided by my own method and inner perception. Like him, I understood that a physical limitation does not mean an end but a transformation of the form of expression. We are not connected by sound or style, but by the conviction that true art comes from an inner strengththat cannot be extinguished by any circumstances.

3. Why are you going on this fictional journey with Beethoven and us this year?

I accepted this invitation because I feel that this symbolic journey does not lead to the past, but into the heart of the creative act. To go with Beethoven means to engage in a dialogue with the resilience and dignity of the artist who continues to create despite all expectations. I am fascinated by the possibility of weaving his sound silence with my visual darkness and showing that art does not depend on what is missing, but on what burns within. This project is for mea commitment to the creative power beyond all boundaries.