The Masterpiece - Emile Zola
Category: General Fiction
Tags: General Fiction, Classic, Adults, Literature
Perhaps the most autobiographical of Zolas Rougon-Macquart cycle of novels, The Masterpiece is a hard, bleak and raw portrait of unrecognised artistic genius. Claude Lantier, brother to Nana and son of Gervaise, is a struggling painter who dreams of conquering Pariss art scene with his revolutionary open air style of painting. Discouraged and mocked, Claude retreats to the countryside with a young woman from Clermont, with whom he has fallen in love, before returning to Paris, where he continues to experience rejection at every turn. Zolas depiction of a frustrated artist is said to have drawn heavily on the real-life experiences of douard Manet and Paul Czanne, the latter of whom broke off his friendship with the author upon reading the novel.
