Art is More than Merely Copying Life

Art is more than merely copying life, Honore de Balzac argues in “The Unknown Masterpiece.” Balzac makes this argument through the character of Frenhofer, who in turn presents the argument to Nicolas and Porbus. Art, Frenhofer insists, is about expressing life, love, and beauty–the things which the art of Porbus lacks, and which Frenhofer’s own masterpiece contains.

Art is not merely painting, Frenhofer contends – the skills, techniques, theories (such as the idea that no drawing exists because there are no lines in nature) – are important and essential, but not the only thing necessary in a work of art. Frenhofer contends that an artist must pour his soul into his work to fully express the subject he is capturing: love of the subject and love of the craft go hand in hand. He explains that just because a man...