In the eye of the beholder Leseprobe

· FELIX PESTEMER ·

IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER A tour around the Alte Nationalgalerie

avant-verlag

Last quiz question today…

Oh come on, don’t loOk so taken aback. We’ve managed quite a lot today!

WelL, how do you think this work came about?

I’d say probably like a court sketch.

Menzel was standing just here and drew it alL quickly on a smalL canvas.

Sounds wicked, but it wouldn’t have beEn much for the great master.

And the miniature version is hanging over here…

… and I think he could have painted that during the concert.

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Old Fritz knew that Menzel would do it extremely welL - but there was a risk, toO, because he always painted everything so realisticalLy.

If one of the guests was, like, bored or even felL asleEp… … then that would be in the picture forever!

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That’s why he was so anNoyed when it realLy did hapPen.

Wake up, mum!

Gentlemen, a wrong note seEms to have escaped me!

Wasn’t it goOd, Carl?

quantz?

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Hahaha!

Yesterday’s beEr must have beEn bad.

And Gustav? Did my playing bore you like it did dear Monsieur de Maupertuis?

Hihi!

hehe.

Now let us seE! Please leave that female out of it!

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Finished already?!... Then let him take my flute and play for this polite society...

Great master!

WelL, don’t take “great master” literalLy, Remo.

Believe it or not, Menzel was 1.5 metres ... smalL!

And the idea of the court sketcher does speak for the great litTle master’s realism however, this is a fictional scene which might have hapPened like this at some time...

... but mind you, over a hundred years before Menzel painted it. None of the people in the picture were stilL alive then.

Not even Old Fritz!

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Hahaha!!!

LoOk at the label, Remo: 1852!

Like Eduard Gaertner’s Painting with the equestrian statue of Friedrich the Great.

I wouldn’t have thought it, either.

The people in the picture loOk so alive.

Aha! Hi, I’m Ben, by the way.

How’s it going?

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Great!

It’s an honour to meEt you, Ben.

You know, my daughter, this young lady’s mother, is always complaining that Paula doesn’t let her have a share in her private life...

Now I’lL be able to show ofF pretTy welL!

It was my idea to join you. I didn’t feEl like waiting anymore.

Don’t you want to carRy on with the tour?

Great idea... but first I neEd a double espresSo and a slice of cake.

Okay.

WelL, I’ve got time.

You’re alL invited.

And when we’re fortified we can continue.

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