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The Unknown Masterpiece

Honoré de Balzac

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Book Excerpt: 
. . . spot in your picture has not been touched by the divine flame."

"But how is it, dear master?" Porbus asked respectfully, while the young man with difficulty repressed his strong desire to beat the critic.

"Ah!" said the old man, "it is this! You have halted between two manners. You have hesitated between drawing and color, between the dogged attention to detail, the stiff precision of the German masters and the dazzling glow, the joyous exuberance of Italian painters. You have set yourself to imitate Hans Holbein and Titian, Albrecht Durer and Paul Veronese in a single picture. A magnificent ambition truly, but what has come of it? Your work has neither the severe charm of a dry execution nor the magical illusion of Italian chiaroscuro. Titian's rich golden coloring poured into Albrecht Dureras austere outlines has shattered them, like molten bronze bursting through the mold that is not strong enough to hold it. In other places the outlines have hel. . . Read More

Community Reviews

کتاب شاهکار گمنام، تلفیق تاریخ و تخیل، روایت نگرش و واکنش متضاد دو نقاش به اثار هنریشون ه، دو داستان کوتاه جذاب با پایانی غافلگیر کننده و البته دنیایی از طرح، رنگ ، نقش و خیال در جامه ی کلمات:

" در همه ی احساس­ های بشری درخششی اولیه هست، زاده ی شوری اصیل، که همواره رو به کاهش دارد تا جایی که خوشبختی

Έχετε πιει ποτέ καφέ, με ένα μικρό φύλλο χρυσού από πάνω; Εγώ ναι, στο παλάτι Τσιραάν στην Κωνσταντινούπολη, στις όχθες του Βοσπόρου ανάμεσα στο Μπεσίκτας και το Ορτάκιοϊ. Τον χρυσοπλήρωσα. Όμως το ευχαριστήθηκα. Η θέα στο σημείο αυτό κλυδωνίζει τις αισθήσεις έτσι που απλώς σωπαίνεις και ευφραίνεσαι

The Unknown Masterpiece (Le Chef-D'Œuvre Inconnu) was first published in August 1831 in the journal "L'Artiste" and shortly thereafter, in the third volume of the collection "Romans et Contes philosophiques".

Although described by Satiat as a "hastily written version of a fairy tale" by ETA Hoffmann

Artist and His Model (1926) - by Pablo Picasso

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 criti

Easily the best entry point into Balzac's impressive oeuvre, these two short novellas display the key features of this literary master's ability. The first feature is astounding, complex description, and the second is dramatic, intelligent dialogue. The latter is worthy of a grandiose stage play and

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