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The Unknown Masterpiece New York Review Books Classics Honoré de Balzac Richard Howard Arthur C Danto 9780940322745 Books

Download As PDF : The Unknown Masterpiece New York Review Books Classics Honoré de Balzac Richard Howard Arthur C Danto 9780940322745 Books

The Unknown Masterpiece New York Review Books Classics Honoré de Balzac Richard Howard Arthur C Danto 9780940322745 Books

This New York Review Books edition is indeed a classic since it includes not only two highly philosophical works by French master Honoré de Balzac on the nature of art and music but also an illuminating introductory essay by philosopher of art/art critic Arthur C. Danto. For the purposes of my review I will focus the author's tour de force, The Unknown Masterpiece.

The story revolves around three painters - Porbus, Poussin and Frenhofer. Porbus can be seen as the Flemish painter Frans Pourbus, Poussin, the master Nicolas Poussin in his youth and Frenhofer, the true genius in the story, is a creation of Balzac’s imagination. After reading and falling in loving with this short work, many are the artists who have linked themselves to Frenhofer, including Picasso, Matisse and Cézanne.

Rather than simply recapping events within the story, I will turn to a number of provocative philosophical questions raised by Balzac’s tale. Firstly, there is the matter of art as a form of magic. In his essay on The Unknown Masterpiece included in this NYRB edition, Danto states: "From the perspective of magic, every image has the possibility of coming to life, and perhaps the first images every drawn, however crudely executed, were viewed with an awe that still remains a disposition of the most primitive regions of the human brain. This is why images have been forbidden in so many of the great religions of the world, and why they have been destroyed in the name of iconoclasm. It is why Plato was afraid of art, and drove artists from his Republic."

At one point Frenhofer judges a portrait painted by Probus: “You can see she’s pasted on the canvas – you could never walk around her.” To paint in such a way that the viewer can mentally walk around a woman, man, animal, plant or other object painted on canvas requires rendering a two dimensional plane into three dimensions, technical expertise developed in the Western artistic tradition over centuries, reaching staggering heights beginning in the period of the renaissance. Yet to really vitalize a painting, an added ingredient is needed. What shall we call it? Genius, perhaps? If any image can come to life, even those first images created in the dawn of humanity as Danto notes, how powerful and magical is a painting infused by highly polished technique coupled with the spark of genius? Now institutions and champions of the status quo who fear the power of the image really have something to worry about.

For the artists in the tale, as for nearly all artists, is it any accident hot-blooded passionate love for another person is so much a part of their lives and has such an influence on their art? There’s something both inspiring and intoxicating about love, most especially erotic love, and how eroticism mixed in with the mystery of artistic creation is nothing less than explosive. Frenhofer exclaims, “Oh! I would give all I possess if just once, for a single moment, I could gaze upon that complete, that divine nature; if I could meet that ideal heavenly beauty, I would search for her in limbo itself!”

And the female nude? Oh, yes, as Balzac details in his story, the keg of dynamite that is erotic love becomes supercharged even further when an artist takes a woman’s nudity as the subject. Again, Frenhofer: “Poetry and women show themselves naked only to their lovers!” And the female who poses nude for Frenhofer? The beautiful Gillette, the loving mistress of Poussin. You will have to read for yourself to find out exactly how Balzac’s story unfolds.

Shifting our focus to a slightly different topic, does the sense of place participate in this creative and artistic magic? In the spirit of his realistic prose, Balzac notes the exact locations of the artist’s studios – Rue des Grands-Augustins, Pont Saint-Michel, Rue de la Harpe. Ah, Paris! Such a magnet for artists. So inspired was Pablo Picasso by Balzac's story, he moved his studio to Nº 7 Rue des Grands-Augustins.

Lastly, at the very end of the story, along with Porbus and Poussin we encounter the masterpiece Frenhofer has spent the last ten years of his life painting. From Balzac’s description, can you see what the artist wishes you to see? And what does it mean to know a masterpiece? Taking Picasso’s Artist and His Model, for example, what would it mean to come to know this work of art? Or maybe a better question would be: Could we ever completely know such art? Does a measure of power derive from its mystery? And there’s that foot! Echoes of Frenhofer and Balzac?


Tags : The Unknown Masterpiece (New York Review Books Classics) [Honoré de Balzac, Richard Howard, Arthur C. Danto] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A New York Review Books Original One of Honoré de Balzac's most celebrated tales, "The Unknown Masterpiece" is the story of a painter who,Honoré de Balzac, Richard Howard, Arthur C. Danto,The Unknown Masterpiece (New York Review Books Classics),NYRB Classics,0940322749,Classics,USA,Balzac, Honore de,Masterpiece, Artistic - France,19th century fiction,Classic fiction (pre c 1945),English,FICTION Classics,FICTION Literary,FICTION Psychological,FRENCH NOVEL AND SHORT STORY,Fiction,GENERAL,HOWARD, RICHARD - POEMS & CRITICISM,Literary,Literature - Classics Criticism,ScholarlyUndergraduate,United States,classic;literary fiction;classic literature;classic books;classic novels;classics;fiction;novels;fiction books;literature;books fiction;classics books;realistic fiction books;classic fiction;fiction psychological;french;proust;short stories;romance;german;modernism;philosophy;love;essays;drama;art;translation;letters;school;balzac;existentialism;aesthetics;england;satire;feminism;autobiography;comedy;plays;french books;mystery;historical;literary criticism;marriage;venice;opera;psychology,french literature; 19th century; french books; decadence; modernism; 20th century; classic literature; proust; translation; drama; literary fiction; german; school; philosophy; literary; novella; german literature; opera; classic fiction; italian literature; classic books; fiction; classics; fiction books; literature; fiction psychological; french; classic; short stories; love; pushkin collection; art; in search of lost time; letters; biography; balzac; surrealism; roman; aesthetics; feminism; essays; plays; autobiography; existentialism

The Unknown Masterpiece New York Review Books Classics Honoré de Balzac Richard Howard Arthur C Danto 9780940322745 Books Reviews

"The Unknown Masterpiece" is one of those seminal tales of a man whose need for perfection paralyzes his ability to do anything. It's a real cautionary tale that, as a bonus, provides an education into the arcane techniques of representational painting.
This short novel (only 30 pages) written by the great Balzac is simply beautiful. The book is a poor edition but one should expect that since the price is very low. The translation is pretty good but the edition is so minimal that it isn't reported the translator's name, which is an important lack in my opinion. Processing of the order and shipping were impeccable.
Item arrived on time & as described. very pleased.
The in depth discussion of art, in THE UNKNOWN MASTERPIECE, make this entire book worth the read. When someone such as Balzac speaks to the highest accomplishment of humans, it changes the course of the reader's thinking, forever impressing what is possible.
Balzac's The Unknown Masterpiece is not about abstract art! It is about the destructive power of obsession for perfection. The artist Frenhofer over-paints and touches-up his masterpiece until it is not recognizable as anything but a mess. Balzac's Gambarra was too wordy but it does have the interesting theme of an artist, totally consumed by his personal vision, and thus not able to recognize the sacrifices and motivations of those around him. He writes an opera about the beginnings of Islam and the sacrifice of a woman for the man she loves. Yet Gambarra can not see this same pattern being played out with his wife and thus his single minded vision destroys his marriage. He is both a genius and a fool. His atonal compositions were 100 years before their time. His inability to empathize and get out of his own visions results in his wife's running off with an Italian count who plots to steal Gambarra's wife after he sees the composer's Achille's heel. I don't think I would recommend these books to anyone but artists. They reveal the artistic feet of clay which we so often overlook.
The Unknown Masterpiece and Gambara each have somewhat the same themes. Genius in the creation of great works. Both also showcase the dedication of those women who live with genius.
The French Catholic, Jesuit-educated 19th century writer Honore Balzac is a sublime and haunting writer. This Dover Thrift Edition is a very cheap razor-thin paperback containing one of his best short stories, about a painter who labors for years over the fiercely guarded titular masterpiece, as well as some other delightful tales. These Romantic stories are simultaneously deep and highly satisfying in their grasp of human nature, without devolving into the grotesque flourishes of a Gaston Leroux or the eye-rolling melodramatics of a Victor Hugo, and you'll be surprised at the sparse beauty of his narrative. He's just a wonderful storyteller. If you've never read Balzac, I recommend starting with these stories rather than his epic-length novels, and see if you feel moved to read more from that point. This volume is such a great bargain because it contains such brilliant writings in a lucid English translation at such a great price. It also includes a nice introduction.
This New York Review Books edition is indeed a classic since it includes not only two highly philosophical works by French master Honoré de Balzac on the nature of art and music but also an illuminating introductory essay by philosopher of art/art critic Arthur C. Danto. For the purposes of my review I will focus the author's tour de force, The Unknown Masterpiece.

The story revolves around three painters - Porbus, Poussin and Frenhofer. Porbus can be seen as the Flemish painter Frans Pourbus, Poussin, the master Nicolas Poussin in his youth and Frenhofer, the true genius in the story, is a creation of Balzac’s imagination. After reading and falling in loving with this short work, many are the artists who have linked themselves to Frenhofer, including Picasso, Matisse and Cézanne.

Rather than simply recapping events within the story, I will turn to a number of provocative philosophical questions raised by Balzac’s tale. Firstly, there is the matter of art as a form of magic. In his essay on The Unknown Masterpiece included in this NYRB edition, Danto states "From the perspective of magic, every image has the possibility of coming to life, and perhaps the first images every drawn, however crudely executed, were viewed with an awe that still remains a disposition of the most primitive regions of the human brain. This is why images have been forbidden in so many of the great religions of the world, and why they have been destroyed in the name of iconoclasm. It is why Plato was afraid of art, and drove artists from his Republic."

At one point Frenhofer judges a portrait painted by Probus “You can see she’s pasted on the canvas – you could never walk around her.” To paint in such a way that the viewer can mentally walk around a woman, man, animal, plant or other object painted on canvas requires rendering a two dimensional plane into three dimensions, technical expertise developed in the Western artistic tradition over centuries, reaching staggering heights beginning in the period of the renaissance. Yet to really vitalize a painting, an added ingredient is needed. What shall we call it? Genius, perhaps? If any image can come to life, even those first images created in the dawn of humanity as Danto notes, how powerful and magical is a painting infused by highly polished technique coupled with the spark of genius? Now institutions and champions of the status quo who fear the power of the image really have something to worry about.

For the artists in the tale, as for nearly all artists, is it any accident hot-blooded passionate love for another person is so much a part of their lives and has such an influence on their art? There’s something both inspiring and intoxicating about love, most especially erotic love, and how eroticism mixed in with the mystery of artistic creation is nothing less than explosive. Frenhofer exclaims, “Oh! I would give all I possess if just once, for a single moment, I could gaze upon that complete, that divine nature; if I could meet that ideal heavenly beauty, I would search for her in limbo itself!”

And the female nude? Oh, yes, as Balzac details in his story, the keg of dynamite that is erotic love becomes supercharged even further when an artist takes a woman’s nudity as the subject. Again, Frenhofer “Poetry and women show themselves naked only to their lovers!” And the female who poses nude for Frenhofer? The beautiful Gillette, the loving mistress of Poussin. You will have to read for yourself to find out exactly how Balzac’s story unfolds.

Shifting our focus to a slightly different topic, does the sense of place participate in this creative and artistic magic? In the spirit of his realistic prose, Balzac notes the exact locations of the artist’s studios – Rue des Grands-Augustins, Pont Saint-Michel, Rue de la Harpe. Ah, Paris! Such a magnet for artists. So inspired was Pablo Picasso by Balzac's story, he moved his studio to Nº 7 Rue des Grands-Augustins.

Lastly, at the very end of the story, along with Porbus and Poussin we encounter the masterpiece Frenhofer has spent the last ten years of his life painting. From Balzac’s description, can you see what the artist wishes you to see? And what does it mean to know a masterpiece? Taking Picasso’s Artist and His Model, for example, what would it mean to come to know this work of art? Or maybe a better question would be Could we ever completely know such art? Does a measure of power derive from its mystery? And there’s that foot! Echoes of Frenhofer and Balzac?