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"The Portrait" by Willem Jan Otten (2009)
, 4 Oct 2014
The Portrait
was first published in Dutch in Holland in 2005, and was translated into
English by David Colmer and published in the English-speaking world in
2009, after being critically awarded in Otten's native land and winning
the Libris Prize. This is a tiny book that, however, offers an unforgettable experience, if you are into odd stories, literary experimentation and entertainment, all at once.
The Portrait
is the story of Felix Vincent, a prestigious painter who accepts to
paint the portrait of the dead son of Valery Specht, a rich and dubious
industrialist, just for the money. This is also the story of Felix's
private life and his relationship with his wife, the story of the
relationship between Felix and his newly-acquired giant white-Extra-
Fine-Quadruple-Universal-Primed canvas, and the story of the canvas -who
is actually the narrator of the story- on which the portrait is going
to be painted.
The literary language (at least the one reflected by the translation) is precise and matter of fact, without any flourish or narrative intricacy. However, the apparent simplicity of the language and composition are counteracted by the originality of the story, the precision of its tempo, and the depth and insight of its narrative voice. The result is a fascinating contemporary noir story that goes beyond the facts narrated in the story, and explores with fluidity subjects like artistic creation, personal intimacy and trust, social and intellectual pre-assumptions, and the world of Art.
A
priori, it could sound shocking that the canvas is the narrator of the
story. However, Otten takes such an absurd poetic license to transcend
the facts described in the story, and the canvas becomes a sort of
universal consciousness, invisible observer and jury that, however, has a
sense of humour.
The book gets more interesting and fascinating by the page, and, at the end, you will be lamenting that it was too short. Which is always a great sign.
The book gets more interesting and fascinating by the page, and, at the end, you will be lamenting that it was too short. Which is always a great sign.
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