The Unknown Masterpiece by Honoré de Balzac
"The Unknown Masterpiece" by Honoré de Balzac is a novella written during the early to mid-19th century. This narrative explores the complexities of artistic ambition and the pursuit of perfection. Set against the backdrop of 17th-century Paris, it delves into the world of painting, examining the relationship between art and life, and the obsession that artists can experience in their quest for unattainable beauty. The story follows a young aspiring painter, Nicolas
Poussin, who visits the studio of the acclaimed artist Frenhofer. Frenhofer is depicted as a reclusive genius, fixated on creating a perfect masterpiece, a painting of a woman he believes embodies true beauty. Through conversations between Poussin, Frenhofer, and another painter, Porbus, the narrative reveals the profound struggles artists face in capturing the essence of life and emotion on canvas. Frenhofer ultimately becomes desperate after discovering that, despite his years of work, his creation exists only in his imagination rather than reality. The novella presents a poignant exploration of artistic aspiration, the ephemeral nature of beauty, and the conflict between the artist's vision and the reality of their craft. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Balzac, Honoré de, 1799-1850 |
|---|---|
| Uniform Title | Chef d'oeuvre inconnu. English |
| Title |
The Unknown Masterpiece 1845 |
| Note | Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Chef-d%27%C5%93uvre_inconnu |
| Note | Reading ease score: 77.2 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. |
| Credits | Produced by David Widger |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese |
| Subject | Biographical fiction |
| Subject | France -- Fiction |
| Subject | French fiction -- Translations into English |
| Subject | Painters -- Fiction |
| Subject | Poussin, Nicolas, 1594?-1665 -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 23060 |
| Release Date | Oct 17, 2007 |
| Most Recently Updated | Feb 19, 2025 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 622 downloads in the last 30 days. |
| Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free! | |
