Time

The symbol of time represents the novel's broken timeline between two eras, the relativity of time and its parallelism to abstract art. Just as time moves beyond linearity in The Muralist, abstraction transcends time. One example of this is in Danielle’s reinterpretation of her great-aunt’s masterpiece, 'Montage'; the mural represents the ravages of war and its associated themes and emotions in the past and present. The modern-day painting dialogues with the original in the same way that Danielle’s narrative runs alongside and occasionally intersects with that of Alizee. Moreover, time is both the revealer—the truth about Alizee’s art and disappearance—as well as the obscurer— the original intended design of 'Montage' is never discovered.

WPA Murals

The traditional WPA murals which depict American life in a specific and realistic style are the opposite of the abstract art Alizée believes is...