The Unknown Masterpiece by Honoré de Balzac

A Canadian Art Movement: The Story of the Group of.

Moran of the Lady Letty by Frank Norris.Mexico: Biography of Power by Enrique Krauze.The Complete Western Stories of Elmore Leonard.When God Laughs and Other Stories by Jack London.If you liked this review, please follow the link below to and give me a “helpful” vote. Nevertheless, art lovers everywhere will take pleasure in this cautionary fable of the perils of creative obsession. Given all the care and attention paid to setting up the scenario, the shocking climax of the story feels a bit rushed, and the ending too abrupt. The two masters engage in fascinating dialogues on such subjects as the proper method of modelling lifelike human flesh so as to create the mechanical illusion of three-dimensional depth while maintaining the living, breathing poetry of life itself. He does a beautiful job of recreating the atmosphere of the Renaissance painters’ studios and the arcane magic of creation practiced by Porbus and Frenhofer. To these men, art is the one invaluable necessity of existence all else pales by comparison.īalzac proves himself to be an expert writer on the subject of art, and his enthusiasm for the craft of painting is infectious. He would sell his soul to the devil to decipher the old man’s secrets. Poussin is the upstart whose ambition knows no bounds. He strives to materialize the ideal woman upon his canvas, just as Pygmalion sculpted Galatea from ivory. He dares to rival the gods in his ability to create nature from nothing but palette and brush. In this tale Balzac explores the relationship between artists and their muses, the burden of genius, and the dangers of obsession. First published in 1831, it falls under the category of Philosophical Studies in Balzac’s body of work, the Comédie Humaine. The Hidden Masterpiece, also known as The Unknown Masterpiece, could be considered a long short story or a short novella. Poussin, filled with awe and admiration for this exceptional painter and overcome by an irresistible curiosity, decides he must see this painting at all costs. This piece of work is the great love of his life, and he refuses to share it with anyone. The old man, Maitre Frenhofer, has one great unfinished canvas secreted away in the back of his atelier. Poussin, upon seeing the old man’s work, is amazed at the sublime talent of this aged master, who surpasses even the remarkable skill of Porbus.

The young novice is revealed to be Nicholas Poussin, who in Balzac’s time was one of the most celebrated painters in French history. This aged personage turns out to be the master’s master, that is, the artist who taught Porbus all he knows about painting.

When he arrives at the top of the staircase, however, he finds his idol already has company in the form of a mysterious old man. A young aspiring painter nervously climbs the stairs to the studio of the master painter Porbus, in hopes that the great artist will take him on as an apprentice.

The Unknown Masterpiece by Honoré de Balzac