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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
Story of the creation of a JMW Turner painting that doesn't actually exist, and of the lives of two of the people who owned it briefly
Too bad the painting this book was about wasn't real. I would have loved to have seen this painting and formed my own impression of it. I got really tired of hearing about how great it was, over and over, ad infinitum, and not being able to see it for myself. It was just an ok book. I thought it would be wayyyy better.
If I could give this book SIX stars on Goodreads, I would!!!!!
As I grow older, I find myself getting more and more picky about what I'm reading. This novel was, according to Kirkus, one of the most overlooked books of 2013. It shouldn't be. This is an absolutely WONDERFUL book. The story centers around, The Center of the World, a JMW Turner painting which, alas, does not exist. This is a fascinating book that goes back and forth in several different time periods from the point of view of several different people. However, it doesn't matter because they are all bound together by this magnificent painting that was a portrait of Helen of Troy commissioned by the 3rd Earl of Egremont.
In the novel, the Earl has commissioned the painting as an extraordinary portrait of his mistress, Mrs. Spencer. The painting is extraordinary according to the book. It changes whomever looks at it. The earl keeps it locked in a cupboard As Mrs. Spencer says toward the end of her life, it is the light that she sees. The painting is later owned by wealthy financier, Cornelius Rhinebeck, who also keeps it locked in a cupboard in a private "cabin" and tells no one, not even any family members, about it.
The book explores the line between art and eroticism. Generations have considered the painting to be pornographic which is why the owners have kept it hidden.
Then there's Henry Leiden who has inherited a small house on a lake in the Adirondacks that was part of the Rhinebeck estate before it was boarded up. Henry and his wife are having marital problems. His father has died leaving him nothing but the cabin and a lot of junk. He's avoided cleaning it out, but now decides to tackle it. It's on the water, and his wealthy neighbor offers him $1M for it. He could use the money, but is not sure he wants to accept the offer. While moving some junk, he finds a closed cabinet. When he opens it, there is the painting framed with a brass plaque saying "The Center of the World" by JMW Turner. Soon he is being pursued by an unscrupulous art dealer. Despite the fact that an unknown Turner could easily fetch $16M, he can't bear to be parted from it, such is the effect that this painting has on him as well.
This is officially my favorite book of the year. It's absolutely WONDERFUL.
As I grow older, I find myself getting more and more picky about what I'm reading. This novel was, according to Kirkus, one of the most overlooked books of 2013. It shouldn't be. This is an absolutely WONDERFUL book. The story centers around, The Center of the World, a JMW Turner painting which, alas, does not exist. This is a fascinating book that goes back and forth in several different time periods from the point of view of several different people. However, it doesn't matter because they are all bound together by this magnificent painting that was a portrait of Helen of Troy commissioned by the 3rd Earl of Egremont.
In the novel, the Earl has commissioned the painting as an extraordinary portrait of his mistress, Mrs. Spencer. The painting is extraordinary according to the book. It changes whomever looks at it. The earl keeps it locked in a cupboard As Mrs. Spencer says toward the end of her life, it is the light that she sees. The painting is later owned by wealthy financier, Cornelius Rhinebeck, who also keeps it locked in a cupboard in a private "cabin" and tells no one, not even any family members, about it.
The book explores the line between art and eroticism. Generations have considered the painting to be pornographic which is why the owners have kept it hidden.
Then there's Henry Leiden who has inherited a small house on a lake in the Adirondacks that was part of the Rhinebeck estate before it was boarded up. Henry and his wife are having marital problems. His father has died leaving him nothing but the cabin and a lot of junk. He's avoided cleaning it out, but now decides to tackle it. It's on the water, and his wealthy neighbor offers him $1M for it. He could use the money, but is not sure he wants to accept the offer. While moving some junk, he finds a closed cabinet. When he opens it, there is the painting framed with a brass plaque saying "The Center of the World" by JMW Turner. Soon he is being pursued by an unscrupulous art dealer. Despite the fact that an unknown Turner could easily fetch $16M, he can't bear to be parted from it, such is the effect that this painting has on him as well.
This is officially my favorite book of the year. It's absolutely WONDERFUL.
This week I read The Center of the World by Thomas Van Essen. When asked about his inspiration for writing the novel, Van Essen answered that while in a nineteenth century nonfiction graduate course, his professor related a story about Ruskin supposedly burning J.M.W. Turner's erotic sketches. Van Essen began to wonder whether or not the sketches were actually part of a larger project, like an erotic painting unknown to the art world. It could be possible because most artists of Turner's caliber wouldn't waste time on studies.
The Center of the World is told in multiple voices and spans the Romantic period when Turner was painting, the early twentieth century when the robber barons were feathering their nests, and present-day New York City and Princeton. Turner is challenged by his patron Lord Egremont to paint a painting to surpass all others about a topic that, according to Turner, rules the world. The subject of the painting is Helen of Troy, and the painting is entitled The Center of the World. I won't go into details about Lord Egremont and Turner's conversation because it is very graphic.
The story is also about middle-aged Henry Leiden living in contemporary Princeton. He is a borderline alcoholic and seems so unhappy with his life until he finds The Center of the World hidden in an outbuilding at his family's lake house in New York state. The painting has a supernatural power attached to it: People have visions, behave oddly, and can actually see Greek gods when they view the painting. Given the paintings ability to transfix viewers, it seems that it's a good thing few have ever known of its existence. The painting's power reminds me a bit of the Mirror of Erised from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Eventually unscrupulous art dealer Arthur Bryce suspects Turner painted something that has been off the art world's radar, and he throws tons of money, manpower and energy into tracking it down: Proving the provenance of the painting is a major plot point of the story. I admit that I love the Romantic period in art, music, and literature, but The Center of the World transcends mere Romanticism and is something mystical and terrifying at the same time.
I found the characters in the novel to be either way too ruthless or insipid except for Turner's muses for Helen and Paris. Although the depiction of Turner is historically accurate on a few levels, I struggled with his character in the story. I did appreciate his dedication to his art and the process of painting The Center of the World. This novel is a must read if you appreciate historical fiction and Turner's art. Van Essen's debut is impressive, and I enjoyed how the composition of the painting is slowly revealed through different points of view.
I kept my iPad with my while reading The Center of the World so I could view some of the art mentioned in the book while reading it, and I posted a few of the paintings on my blog post.
The Center of the World is told in multiple voices and spans the Romantic period when Turner was painting, the early twentieth century when the robber barons were feathering their nests, and present-day New York City and Princeton. Turner is challenged by his patron Lord Egremont to paint a painting to surpass all others about a topic that, according to Turner, rules the world. The subject of the painting is Helen of Troy, and the painting is entitled The Center of the World. I won't go into details about Lord Egremont and Turner's conversation because it is very graphic.
The story is also about middle-aged Henry Leiden living in contemporary Princeton. He is a borderline alcoholic and seems so unhappy with his life until he finds The Center of the World hidden in an outbuilding at his family's lake house in New York state. The painting has a supernatural power attached to it: People have visions, behave oddly, and can actually see Greek gods when they view the painting. Given the paintings ability to transfix viewers, it seems that it's a good thing few have ever known of its existence. The painting's power reminds me a bit of the Mirror of Erised from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Eventually unscrupulous art dealer Arthur Bryce suspects Turner painted something that has been off the art world's radar, and he throws tons of money, manpower and energy into tracking it down: Proving the provenance of the painting is a major plot point of the story. I admit that I love the Romantic period in art, music, and literature, but The Center of the World transcends mere Romanticism and is something mystical and terrifying at the same time.
I found the characters in the novel to be either way too ruthless or insipid except for Turner's muses for Helen and Paris. Although the depiction of Turner is historically accurate on a few levels, I struggled with his character in the story. I did appreciate his dedication to his art and the process of painting The Center of the World. This novel is a must read if you appreciate historical fiction and Turner's art. Van Essen's debut is impressive, and I enjoyed how the composition of the painting is slowly revealed through different points of view.
I kept my iPad with my while reading The Center of the World so I could view some of the art mentioned in the book while reading it, and I posted a few of the paintings on my blog post.
Art has always had the power to transform, to take us away to another place, and provide a new perspective. In one image, there are deep emotions and stories told. Powerful art stands the test of time and can itself influence history. Thomas Van Essen takes this concept as a metaphor. He uses a portrait of Helen of Troy “the face that launched a thousand ships” as its centerpiece, the center of the world. The portrait itself makes men and women lie, betray, and fight to keep it under any means necessary.
Moving back and forth and time the story focuses on the creation and later the hunt of a fictional erotic portrait by J.M. W. Turner. Van Essen uses a quote referring to a Turner set of “paintings for personal pleasure” and expands it to a full story. On one end, J.M.W. Turner, his patron, and his muses demonstrate the fevered creation process and the inspiration of the muse. This aspect is very compelling as well as the creation of the art piece and its impact.
However, the present timeline was very tired and flat. The passion that the historical characters had over the art or the chasing of the piece is in sharp contrast to the dull drifting of the present characters. This might be intentional, but it wasn’t very interesting to read. The conclusion on that end as well made the entire section seem pointless.
Furthermore, while I appreciate the respect the author has for art, the way he portrays the art comes up a little short. He goes into how art can be transformative, but it is more the sexual nature of the portrait that holds power over the characters. He makes it seem as if that is the only way art can hold power over the observer. I felt it cheapened the concept. In the end the books end up being half pretty good and half really bad, an uneven read.
Moving back and forth and time the story focuses on the creation and later the hunt of a fictional erotic portrait by J.M. W. Turner. Van Essen uses a quote referring to a Turner set of “paintings for personal pleasure” and expands it to a full story. On one end, J.M.W. Turner, his patron, and his muses demonstrate the fevered creation process and the inspiration of the muse. This aspect is very compelling as well as the creation of the art piece and its impact.
However, the present timeline was very tired and flat. The passion that the historical characters had over the art or the chasing of the piece is in sharp contrast to the dull drifting of the present characters. This might be intentional, but it wasn’t very interesting to read. The conclusion on that end as well made the entire section seem pointless.
Furthermore, while I appreciate the respect the author has for art, the way he portrays the art comes up a little short. He goes into how art can be transformative, but it is more the sexual nature of the portrait that holds power over the characters. He makes it seem as if that is the only way art can hold power over the observer. I felt it cheapened the concept. In the end the books end up being half pretty good and half really bad, an uneven read.