A perfectly rendered short novel of suspense about a painter driven to extremes.
An influential art critic in the early years of the twentieth century journeys from London to the rustic, remote island of Houat, off France's northwest coast, to sit for a portrait painted by an old friend, a gifted but tormented artist living in self-imposed exile. Over the course of the sitting, the painter recalls their years of friendship, the double-edged gift of the critic's patronage, the power he wielded over aspiring artists, and his apparent callousness in anointing the careers of some and devastating the lives of others. The balance of power between the two men shifts dramatically as the critic becomes a passive subject, while the painter struggles to capture the character of the man, as well as his image, on canvas.
Reminiscing with ease and familiarity one minute, with anger and menace the next, the painter eventually reveals why he has accepted the commission of this portrait, why he left London suddenly and mysteriously at the height of his success, and why now, with dark determination, he feels ready to return.
Set against the dramatic, untamed landscape of Brittany during one of the most explosive periods in art history, The Portrait is rich with atmosphere and suggestion, psychological complexity, and marvelous detail. It is a novel you will want to begin again immediately after turning the last chilling page, to read once more with a watchful eye and appreciate the hand of an ingenious storyteller at work.
發表於2024-12-22
The Portrait 2024 pdf epub mobi 電子書 下載
好多年沒看過這種獨白體的小說瞭。確切的說,不是獨白,而是對話中畫傢這一方的言語及內心的記錄,而坐在他對麵的是位藝術批評傢,他把他請來,叫到他移居多年的海島上,給他畫肖像,畫瞭好幾天,畫的同時,就跟他聊這麼多年來,他做瞭什麼,想瞭什麼,以及他們都熟悉的一些人...
評分好多年沒看過這種獨白體的小說瞭。確切的說,不是獨白,而是對話中畫傢這一方的言語及內心的記錄,而坐在他對麵的是位藝術批評傢,他把他請來,叫到他移居多年的海島上,給他畫肖像,畫瞭好幾天,畫的同時,就跟他聊這麼多年來,他做瞭什麼,想瞭什麼,以及他們都熟悉的一些人...
評分好多年沒看過這種獨白體的小說瞭。確切的說,不是獨白,而是對話中畫傢這一方的言語及內心的記錄,而坐在他對麵的是位藝術批評傢,他把他請來,叫到他移居多年的海島上,給他畫肖像,畫瞭好幾天,畫的同時,就跟他聊這麼多年來,他做瞭什麼,想瞭什麼,以及他們都熟悉的一些人...
評分好多年沒看過這種獨白體的小說瞭。確切的說,不是獨白,而是對話中畫傢這一方的言語及內心的記錄,而坐在他對麵的是位藝術批評傢,他把他請來,叫到他移居多年的海島上,給他畫肖像,畫瞭好幾天,畫的同時,就跟他聊這麼多年來,他做瞭什麼,想瞭什麼,以及他們都熟悉的一些人...
評分好多年沒看過這種獨白體的小說瞭。確切的說,不是獨白,而是對話中畫傢這一方的言語及內心的記錄,而坐在他對麵的是位藝術批評傢,他把他請來,叫到他移居多年的海島上,給他畫肖像,畫瞭好幾天,畫的同時,就跟他聊這麼多年來,他做瞭什麼,想瞭什麼,以及他們都熟悉的一些人...
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The Portrait 2024 pdf epub mobi 電子書 下載