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A review by bknds
The Masterpiece by Émile Zola
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Masterpiece follows artist Claude Lantier for over a decade, as he struggles to paint work that both satisfies himself and the Parisian public. Taking place during the mid-1800s, Claude and his artist friends are slaves not only to themselves and their works, but to public acceptance through the Salon, art dealers, and art critics.
This is the first Zola I’ve read, and so I cannot pull an context from the other 20-odd books that are loosely apart of this “series”; however, having gone to art school and studied art history, I felt a kindredness to the story and Claude and his friends (some more than others!) I think having some art historical knowledge, particularly about this time period or the Impressionist artists, would be invaluable if not necessary to enjoying the work. What I thought would be a heavy to sift through text turned out to not be so; instead I found Zola’s writing (and this English translation) both palatable, accessible, and beautiful. Zola’s descriptions of the art works in the novel, of Paris, and of artistic struggle hooked me and resonated with me as an artist myself.
This is the first Zola I’ve read, and so I cannot pull an context from the other 20-odd books that are loosely apart of this “series”; however, having gone to art school and studied art history, I felt a kindredness to the story and Claude and his friends (some more than others!) I think having some art historical knowledge, particularly about this time period or the Impressionist artists, would be invaluable if not necessary to enjoying the work. What I thought would be a heavy to sift through text turned out to not be so; instead I found Zola’s writing (and this English translation) both palatable, accessible, and beautiful. Zola’s descriptions of the art works in the novel, of Paris, and of artistic struggle hooked me and resonated with me as an artist myself.