The Blind Painter

The Blind Painter is an audio drama produced by Big Finish Productions. It was released in May 2011. Set in 1920, Charles Delaware Tate has lost his sight, but remembers his past dealings with Count Petofi.
==Back Cover==
“My curse… To be the greatest painter who ever lived! And yet, to never be able to see them for myself!”
The year is 1893, and struggling artist Charles Delaware Tate works alone in a garret in New York City. Frustrated by his lack of artistic genius, he seems doomed to a life of misery and failure.
And then he meets Eloise Verinder... and his whole world changes.
The year is 1920. Charles Delaware Tate now lives alone in a sanatorium. But he’s still painting, creating extraordinary works of art.
Even though he is completely blind.
A new nurse arrives, eager to hear the story of Charles’ rise and fall... and of his first encounter with Count Petofi...
==Synopsis==
Teaser
: Morning has just dawned over a sanatorium in the year 1920. An asylum for the shell-shocked casualties of the great war. It also serves as the home to the artist Charles Delaware Tate. Once many years ago he was the toast of the art world hailed as a genius, his name revered around the globe. Now he sits alone, alone in his rooms and nothing for company except for the screams of the wounded and the insane. But on this day Charles Delaware Tate will have a visitor, a visitor who will send Charles deep into his past and who will change the whole course of his future.
Jesamine, a nurse, meets with Charles Delaware Tate in his room at a sanatorium. She is unfamiliar with Tate’s reputation as an artist. He tells her that he can still paint great works of art despite being blind.
[Opening Theme]
Jesamine is impressed by the quality Tate’s most recent works and is skeptical about him being blind. He assures her that he has been put under every test conceivable to confirm that he is in fact blind. Despite his assurances the nurse suggests his condition might be psychological. Tate is insulted by this insinuation. Jesamine asks Tate to make a painting her, this request triggers a memory of someone he used to know. She asks him to tell her about this person whilst doing the painting. Tate complies.
1893, New York. During this time Tate had failed to sell a single painting and feeling disillusioned was on the brink of giving up. It was at the gallery opening that he first encountered the beautiful woman from his memories. The woman introduces herself as Eloise Verinda and is delighted to make his acquaintance, making it known that she is interested in investing in artists with potential. She takes a look at some of his works, is impressed by them and commissions Tate to do a portrait of her, much to his surprise. Tate agrees to begin the portrait the following evening.
Tate paints Eloise with a new-found clarity of vision and he overwhelmed by how good the quality of his painting is. Once finished, Eloise takes a look at it and declares it to be a work of genius. She then tells him to keep it as a sample of his work in order to get further commissions. Back at the sanatorium, Tate reveals to Jesamine that at his next commission his new-found inspiration had deserted him and that if the subject wasn’t Eloise then he couldn’t paint at all.
Four weeks pass by the time Tate next met with Eloise. He reveals his recent humiliation to her. Eloise suggests that he should paint her again in order to put his theory to the test of her being his muse. He readily agrees and completes a portrait that Eloise thinks is even better than the first. This confirms his theory and he declares himself ruined. However, Eloise says she knows of a way that Tate can paint others the way he paints her. She can give him the gift permanently. He agrees and Eloise does as she said. Much to his joy Tate can now see beauty in everything around him.
Jesamine brings Tate his dinner and asks him to continue to tell her story of Eloise and to continue painting the portrait of her. Tate recalls how his confidence grew with each new painting and that within the next six months his fortunes were transformed, quickly becoming much in demand to paint new commissions. Every art dealer was clamouring for his work. During this time, despite much searching, he is unable to locate Eloise anywhere.
At an opening of an exhibition of Tate’s work Eloise makes a surprise appearance. She says it is now time he repaid the debt for the gift she gave him. She removes the gift and tells him to go back to the exhibition and look at his works. He does so and finds that each canvas is now awful to look at and all the people present have been transformed into heckling monstrosities. Back outside Eloise reveals that the change is within Tate’s perception alone and he is now suffering the curse of being unable to see beauty. She reveals that the body of Eloise is merely a vessel for the spirit of another, the spirit of Count Petofi.
Tate takes Petofi back to his studio. Petofi gives him an ultimatum, he will restore the gift and in return Tate shall be beholden to him forever. Tate agrees and the gift is restored. Petofi says that one-day when required Tate will be sent for, but until that day his life is his own, cautioning Tate to use his gift wisely. In his portrait of Eloise, Tate now sees Petofi’s true form. Panicked by this evil sight, Tate scrubs at the canvas with a rag leaving its features even more horrific. Eloise face now reflects this ugly distortion. Petofi bids Tate farewell, leaving the now disfigured body of Eloise, who has no memory of how she got there. She notices her reflection. Distressed Eloise flees the studio, Tate is unable to find her and never sees her again.
Back with Jesamine at the sanatorium, Tate reveals that Petofi called on his services on many occasions, the final time being in Collinsport, Maine to paint the portrait of a man named Quentin Collins. She asks how he lost his sight. In 1915, resenting Petofi’s gift and wanting its removal, Tate sought out a gypsy named Ivanka Romano. The gypsy tricked him by removing his sight, so that he can never see beauty again. Jesamine reveals she is Eloise and that she hasn’t aged a day. Tate completes the portrait and it restores her beauty. At that moment Tate’s sight returns however the gypsy curse has been transferred to Eloise who is now blind, she is distraught. Tate concludes that they will never escape the curse of Count Petofi.
[Closing Theme]
== Memorable quotes ==
==Dramatis personae==
*Roger Davis as Charles Delaware Tate
*Nicola Bryant as Eloise Verinder
*Lizzie Hopley as Ivanka Romano
==Background information and notes==
*Roger Davis reprises his role of Charles Delaware Tate after 41 years.
*The scene where Charles Delaware Tate recreates a Crimson Pearl to give to Ivanka Romano also features as part of the story The Crimson Pearl.
*Included at the end of this release are trailers for The Night Whispers and Kingdom of the Dead.
==Bloopers and continuity errors==
==Official site==
*Big Finish Productions: The Blind Painter
Category:Big Finish Audio Dramas