Part III Summary

The inspector now interviews the accused, Camilo Canegato. This time, the conversation is two-sided, whereas the previous two interviews have not included any dialogue by the inspector. The inspector asks Camilo if he smokes, and Camilo declines. The inspector thinks Camilo's fingers look like smoker's fingers, but Camilo explains that the yellowish tint is from the acids he uses to restore paintings.

The conversation begins with a discussion about art. Camilo is very talkative and expounds on his ideas and theories at length. He seems eager to discuss his passion with anyone who will listen to him. He is especially interested in the idea that modern art has to be phony to survive. Because of photographs and cinematography, artists don't have to be skilled anymore at making things look lifelike. In fact, in order to differentiate themselves from artists of previous...