The Unknown Masterpiece (English and French Edition)

Balzac's "The Unknown Masterpiece" has a long tradition of importance and influence among artists in Europe. In this famous story, newly translated and illustrated by the Philadelphia artist Michael Neff, the author of many classics of world literature wrestles with the great difficulty of achieving a balance among ambition, professionalism, idealism and love. Because of the problems in his own life, Balzac considered this a balance particularly difficult for artists to achieve. Elegantly rendered and illustrated in the grand tradition of Picasso, Cézanne and others, "The Unknown Masterpiece" is as important for artists and those interested in the artistic temperament as it has ever been. In his emotional description of the tragic possibilities inherent in an artist's life, Balzac reaches to the core of the human predicament.