Frederik Kuhlau 1826 - 1830

Christian Horneman captured this portrait of Frederik Kuhlau in an undated drawing. Horneman, a contemporary of Kuhlau, situates the composer within the cultural milieu of 19th-century Europe, a time when artistic and intellectual circles were deeply interconnected. Kuhlau, though celebrated as a musician, lived with the physical difference of only having one eye after an accident. His identity as an artist was thus shaped both by his creative genius and his lived experience with disability. This portrait, with its focus on Kuhlau’s profile, invites us to consider how he presented himself to the world, and how Horneman chose to represent him. Did Kuhlau see his one-eyedness as a source of shame, or did he develop alternative narratives of self-representation? This drawing offers a glimpse into the composer’s world, inviting us to reflect on themes of identity, perception, and resilience.