Ode to Joy (2024) 74 cm circumference, oil on canvas My painting is named after one of Beethoven's best-known works, Ode to Joy, the text was written by the German poet Friedrich Schiller in 1785. The work is the fourth movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, with four soloists, chorus and orchestra. The Council of Europe made Ode to Joy the national anthem of Europe in 1972. It draws attention to how important it is to practice the qualities of love, such as devotion, acceptance, tolerance, self-sacrifice, altruism, brotherhood. My painting was inspired by this, but I wanted to approach these from a light side, so I used four different monkeys with funny faces as they indulge in singing. They symbolize unity despite their differences in this image.