David Schwinghammer's Blog - Posts Tagged "art"
THE GOLDFINCH
The set-up for THE GOLDFINCH involves a museum explosion, some sort of homegrown terrorism, in which fourteen-year-old Theo Decker’s mother is killed. Ironically, when Theo comes to (he’s also knocked out) he pulls an old man from the rubble who gives him a ring and directs him toward a painting on the wall that he wants Theo to take.
The painting is THE GOLDFINCH a famous work by Fabritius, a student of Rembrandt’s. We don’t know for sure if the painting was ever stolen, but it is an actual painting you can look at in a Dutch museum. The irony is that Fabritius was killed in an explosion himself that destroyed most of his paintings. Tartt gives us a little lesson on why the painting is so valuable. The bird is chained to its perch, but its feathers look real, except for a brush stroke along the side of one wing, which Fabritius purposefully adds to show the viewer his technique as an artist rather than a photographer.
Decker bounces from New York to Las Vegas and back to New York, where he finally uses the ring to get in touch with the old man’s partner, Hobie, who’s a master craftsman who uses bits and pieces of old classic furniture to make it look new, but he’s a lousy salesman and that’s where Theo comes in. He sells the furniture as if Hobie’s “creations” were actual valuable antiques.
Back in Vegas Theo met Boris, whose accent was hard to pin down; it was part Russian and part Australian. Boris’s father was a miner and had been all over the world and so had Boris. They take a lot of drugs and skip school more than they go. Another character who figures predominately is Pippa, the dying old man’s ward, whom Theo falls in love with. He’s not sure whether she loves him back, and that’s part of what little plot there is. Will Pippa and Theo ever get together? Theo's father, a failed actor, is significant for a while; he had left Theo and his mother in the lurch, but after the bombing he’s suddenly interested in Theo, and that’s how Theo lands in Las Vegas.
The painting plays a role throughout the book; it’s lost and found and lost again. The most painful part of the book is when Theo is stuck in a hotel room in Amsterdam without a passport to leave the country. What we have here is a “talking head”, what writers call a character alone on the stage, essentially talking to himself. If it hadn’t been like page 700, I would have quit reading. The word “whiner” wouldn’t be too severe a description of the boy Boris calls “Potter” because of his round glasses.
Then there’s the relationship between Boris and Theo. The reader should be wondering if Boris is “playing” Theo. He’s already crossed him once. This thread could have added some suspense to the plot, but Tartt has already foreshadowed where that relationship is at the end of the book. Theo tells us when he meets Boris in Las Vegas. There also isn’t much of a character arc for Theo. Although he’s trying to make amends for his shady dealings, he’s the same miserable introvert at the end of the book that he was in Vegas, and we don’t see a whole lot of hope for him.
The painting is THE GOLDFINCH a famous work by Fabritius, a student of Rembrandt’s. We don’t know for sure if the painting was ever stolen, but it is an actual painting you can look at in a Dutch museum. The irony is that Fabritius was killed in an explosion himself that destroyed most of his paintings. Tartt gives us a little lesson on why the painting is so valuable. The bird is chained to its perch, but its feathers look real, except for a brush stroke along the side of one wing, which Fabritius purposefully adds to show the viewer his technique as an artist rather than a photographer.
Decker bounces from New York to Las Vegas and back to New York, where he finally uses the ring to get in touch with the old man’s partner, Hobie, who’s a master craftsman who uses bits and pieces of old classic furniture to make it look new, but he’s a lousy salesman and that’s where Theo comes in. He sells the furniture as if Hobie’s “creations” were actual valuable antiques.
Back in Vegas Theo met Boris, whose accent was hard to pin down; it was part Russian and part Australian. Boris’s father was a miner and had been all over the world and so had Boris. They take a lot of drugs and skip school more than they go. Another character who figures predominately is Pippa, the dying old man’s ward, whom Theo falls in love with. He’s not sure whether she loves him back, and that’s part of what little plot there is. Will Pippa and Theo ever get together? Theo's father, a failed actor, is significant for a while; he had left Theo and his mother in the lurch, but after the bombing he’s suddenly interested in Theo, and that’s how Theo lands in Las Vegas.
The painting plays a role throughout the book; it’s lost and found and lost again. The most painful part of the book is when Theo is stuck in a hotel room in Amsterdam without a passport to leave the country. What we have here is a “talking head”, what writers call a character alone on the stage, essentially talking to himself. If it hadn’t been like page 700, I would have quit reading. The word “whiner” wouldn’t be too severe a description of the boy Boris calls “Potter” because of his round glasses.
Then there’s the relationship between Boris and Theo. The reader should be wondering if Boris is “playing” Theo. He’s already crossed him once. This thread could have added some suspense to the plot, but Tartt has already foreshadowed where that relationship is at the end of the book. Theo tells us when he meets Boris in Las Vegas. There also isn’t much of a character arc for Theo. Although he’s trying to make amends for his shady dealings, he’s the same miserable introvert at the end of the book that he was in Vegas, and we don’t see a whole lot of hope for him.
STILL LIFE WITH BREAD CRUMBS
I’ve heard of Anna Quindlen for years, but have never read anything she wrote. I’ve also taken NEWSWEEK for over twenty years (until they stopped printing the mag) and never noticed her column.
When you’re desperate for something different you read Anna Quindlen’s STILL LIFE WITH BREAD CRUMBS. It’s about a female Ansel Adams type photographer who has gone out of fashion. She’s swaps her New York apartment for a cabin in the sticks, and that’s when she meets a roofer who takes care of her raccoon problem. They’re hot for each other almost immediately.
So . . .if there’s a theme here it’s whether it’s about a May/December romance in reverse. She’s sixty and he’s forty-four. He doesn’t care; she does.
There’s also a dog in the story and a lady who runs a combo tea shop/bakery called Tea for Two and More who literally can’t shut up, but somehow she fails to tell Rebecca Winter why Jim Bates is suddenly standoffish. The dog is a mutt who gets kicked around and abused until he lands on Rebecca’s back doorstep. Of course she takes pictures of him, constantly, and that becomes a minor theme. Is it okay for an artsy fartsy photographer to do a dog series?
Rebecca also likes to hike in the woods and when she does she keeps finding these crosses, like the kind you see at Arlington, only made of wood.
There’s the cross and a photograph, or the cross and a trophy or a ribbon, like a ribbon you’d get for winning a race. Of course, the reader wants to know what the heck is going on here. That’s about all the plot there is, except for Sarah, the tea lady’s, rotten husband.
I liked Rebecca and I liked Jim. I even liked the tea lady, but is this a romance, a critical comment on art, a schmaltz fest or what? Probably all of those put together.
When you’re desperate for something different you read Anna Quindlen’s STILL LIFE WITH BREAD CRUMBS. It’s about a female Ansel Adams type photographer who has gone out of fashion. She’s swaps her New York apartment for a cabin in the sticks, and that’s when she meets a roofer who takes care of her raccoon problem. They’re hot for each other almost immediately.
So . . .if there’s a theme here it’s whether it’s about a May/December romance in reverse. She’s sixty and he’s forty-four. He doesn’t care; she does.
There’s also a dog in the story and a lady who runs a combo tea shop/bakery called Tea for Two and More who literally can’t shut up, but somehow she fails to tell Rebecca Winter why Jim Bates is suddenly standoffish. The dog is a mutt who gets kicked around and abused until he lands on Rebecca’s back doorstep. Of course she takes pictures of him, constantly, and that becomes a minor theme. Is it okay for an artsy fartsy photographer to do a dog series?
Rebecca also likes to hike in the woods and when she does she keeps finding these crosses, like the kind you see at Arlington, only made of wood.
There’s the cross and a photograph, or the cross and a trophy or a ribbon, like a ribbon you’d get for winning a race. Of course, the reader wants to know what the heck is going on here. That’s about all the plot there is, except for Sarah, the tea lady’s, rotten husband.
I liked Rebecca and I liked Jim. I even liked the tea lady, but is this a romance, a critical comment on art, a schmaltz fest or what? Probably all of those put together.
The Painter
The first Peter Heller novel I read was THE DOG STARS, a dystopia about a blood disease that wipes out the world population, except for a few stragglers here and there. THE PAINTER is entirely different, although quite violent in its own way.
Jim Stegner, the main character, is an artist plagued by the loss of his daughter and a temper that gets the best of him. Prior to her death he shot a suspected pederast who said he wanted to “train” his daughter as a projectionist in his movie theater. Besides art, Jim’s other passion is fly fishing, and that’s what he’s doing when he runs across an “outfitter” who’s beating his horse. This is after his daughter’s death, and in his mind Jim associates the little roan with his daughter. Let’s just say that doesn’t bode well for the outfitter.
The book includes many scenes where Jim is working on a painting. Each chapter heading includes the dimensions and the subject of a new painting.
It gets psychological after a while. One focuses on a man digging a grave. That one was unfortunate because the detective investigating the death of the outfitter sees the painting and immediately makes the connection.
Heller must have great respect for law officers. There are two in the novel, affectionately known as “Sport”, the one above, and “Wheezer,” a really nice guy who’s not in the best of health. Wheezer goes so far as to chart a way out for Jim.
I had a little trouble believing some of the violent incidents in the book, especially the second. There’s another outfitter who happens to be the first one’s brother and he goes looking for Jim. What happens there is hard to believe. And there’s another relative, a trucker, who stalks Jim after the second brother gets his just desserts. Only this guy is essentially a nice guy, too, who provides the ending for the novel. I liked the way Heller handled the epilogue. It’s hard to believe Jim would actually do what the trucker suggests, considering his obsessions with painting and fly fishing.
I should say something about the women in Jim’s life. He’s been divorced twice, and he is currently having a relationship with his model, Sofia, who makes a move on him. Stephen Lily, Jim’s agent, is also significant in that he has a schizophrenic relationship with Jim’s art. He wants Jim to do commissions, but he also respects his talent.
This is a decent read if you like a theme with your plot. You might be reminded of Robert Browning’s poem where he refers to a “tender murderer”.
Jim Stegner, the main character, is an artist plagued by the loss of his daughter and a temper that gets the best of him. Prior to her death he shot a suspected pederast who said he wanted to “train” his daughter as a projectionist in his movie theater. Besides art, Jim’s other passion is fly fishing, and that’s what he’s doing when he runs across an “outfitter” who’s beating his horse. This is after his daughter’s death, and in his mind Jim associates the little roan with his daughter. Let’s just say that doesn’t bode well for the outfitter.
The book includes many scenes where Jim is working on a painting. Each chapter heading includes the dimensions and the subject of a new painting.
It gets psychological after a while. One focuses on a man digging a grave. That one was unfortunate because the detective investigating the death of the outfitter sees the painting and immediately makes the connection.
Heller must have great respect for law officers. There are two in the novel, affectionately known as “Sport”, the one above, and “Wheezer,” a really nice guy who’s not in the best of health. Wheezer goes so far as to chart a way out for Jim.
I had a little trouble believing some of the violent incidents in the book, especially the second. There’s another outfitter who happens to be the first one’s brother and he goes looking for Jim. What happens there is hard to believe. And there’s another relative, a trucker, who stalks Jim after the second brother gets his just desserts. Only this guy is essentially a nice guy, too, who provides the ending for the novel. I liked the way Heller handled the epilogue. It’s hard to believe Jim would actually do what the trucker suggests, considering his obsessions with painting and fly fishing.
I should say something about the women in Jim’s life. He’s been divorced twice, and he is currently having a relationship with his model, Sofia, who makes a move on him. Stephen Lily, Jim’s agent, is also significant in that he has a schizophrenic relationship with Jim’s art. He wants Jim to do commissions, but he also respects his talent.
This is a decent read if you like a theme with your plot. You might be reminded of Robert Browning’s poem where he refers to a “tender murderer”.
The Doll Factory
Perhaps the best thing about the DOLL FACTORY by Elizabeth MacNeal is the setting, 1850 Victorian England. It has that Jack the Ripper environment where nobody seems to be in charge of keeping the city, or at least this part of the city clean. Also poor abandoned children who live anyway they can are referred to as urchins.
The title refers to a shop owned by a woman her two employees refer to as Mrs. Satan. Iris and Rose are twins. Iris has a mild hunchback, but Rose who was once a beauty, has smallpox scars that have disfigured her. Iris has no idea how beautiful she is. She's a prisoner here in this doll shop with no future that she can see. It's her job to pain the dolls; her sister adds ornamentals to the tiny doll dresses brought to them by one of the street urchins.
This is where we meet my favorite character, street urchin, Albie. He apparently sews the little doll dresses himself. He love Iris because she gives him more money than the dresses are worth. He has a couple of sidelines; he sells “curiosities” to any shop owner, Silas. One is conjoined puppies that Silas will skin, stuff and disarticulate, showing the skeletal remains of one of the dogs. He will submit the results to one of the first world fairs that is currently being built in London. Three of his curiosities are accepted. Albie also steals small items from well off women. Iris catches him stealing a rather nice scarf. But he won't steal the really valuable stuff like suitcases he could snatch at the train station. He has a code. He also has a sister who's a prostitute. Albie only his one tooth and he'd like to buy dentures, but he'll never be able to save four pounds to buy them. When he does luck out, he thinks of his prostitute sister first and tries to rescue her from her unfortunate profession.
Iris also lucks out. She's chosen as a model by Louis Frost a rising young painter who's willing to pay her a shilling an hour to sit for him. She also wants to be a painter herself and only takes his offer when he promises to teach her. Modeling is only a touch above prostitute and her parents abandon her. Ruth also feels abandoned and won't answer Iris's letters.
Now for the plot. It's about Silas and his habit of kidnapping and sometimes murdering young women who have rejected him. He's so crazy he blocks out the murders. Then he meets Iris and he's immediately obsessed with her; he watches her all the time, at the expense of his occupation. He knows she's fallen in love with Louis and is jealous. Then there's a tiff between Louis and Iris and she runs away. Silas has been planning for months on how he'll take her, despite Albie's efforts to warn her.
Albie is trying to save her when MacNeal takes the easy way out and makes Iris situation even more deplorable. She keeps adding to the suspense. Will Iris escape Silas's basement? Sometimes he pouts and doesn't feed her. He even forgets the possibility that a beauty like Iris might have to use the bathroom. So then then the story becomes about determination and the will to survive. It is modernistic in that Iris must save herself. Twice others come looking for her or one of the other missing girls, but Silas is able to talk his way out of it, avoiding a search which would have revealed Iris in the basement. So how does she do it. It will keep you turning pages and leave you wanting an epilogue when the story comes to a screeching halt.
The title refers to a shop owned by a woman her two employees refer to as Mrs. Satan. Iris and Rose are twins. Iris has a mild hunchback, but Rose who was once a beauty, has smallpox scars that have disfigured her. Iris has no idea how beautiful she is. She's a prisoner here in this doll shop with no future that she can see. It's her job to pain the dolls; her sister adds ornamentals to the tiny doll dresses brought to them by one of the street urchins.
This is where we meet my favorite character, street urchin, Albie. He apparently sews the little doll dresses himself. He love Iris because she gives him more money than the dresses are worth. He has a couple of sidelines; he sells “curiosities” to any shop owner, Silas. One is conjoined puppies that Silas will skin, stuff and disarticulate, showing the skeletal remains of one of the dogs. He will submit the results to one of the first world fairs that is currently being built in London. Three of his curiosities are accepted. Albie also steals small items from well off women. Iris catches him stealing a rather nice scarf. But he won't steal the really valuable stuff like suitcases he could snatch at the train station. He has a code. He also has a sister who's a prostitute. Albie only his one tooth and he'd like to buy dentures, but he'll never be able to save four pounds to buy them. When he does luck out, he thinks of his prostitute sister first and tries to rescue her from her unfortunate profession.
Iris also lucks out. She's chosen as a model by Louis Frost a rising young painter who's willing to pay her a shilling an hour to sit for him. She also wants to be a painter herself and only takes his offer when he promises to teach her. Modeling is only a touch above prostitute and her parents abandon her. Ruth also feels abandoned and won't answer Iris's letters.
Now for the plot. It's about Silas and his habit of kidnapping and sometimes murdering young women who have rejected him. He's so crazy he blocks out the murders. Then he meets Iris and he's immediately obsessed with her; he watches her all the time, at the expense of his occupation. He knows she's fallen in love with Louis and is jealous. Then there's a tiff between Louis and Iris and she runs away. Silas has been planning for months on how he'll take her, despite Albie's efforts to warn her.
Albie is trying to save her when MacNeal takes the easy way out and makes Iris situation even more deplorable. She keeps adding to the suspense. Will Iris escape Silas's basement? Sometimes he pouts and doesn't feed her. He even forgets the possibility that a beauty like Iris might have to use the bathroom. So then then the story becomes about determination and the will to survive. It is modernistic in that Iris must save herself. Twice others come looking for her or one of the other missing girls, but Silas is able to talk his way out of it, avoiding a search which would have revealed Iris in the basement. So how does she do it. It will keep you turning pages and leave you wanting an epilogue when the story comes to a screeching halt.
