Summary of Painting TimeĀ
Paula Karst, a young French art student, trains to become a ātrompe l’Åilā painter at an art school in Brussels. During her studies, she forms a lasting friendship with two fellow students, Jonas and Kate. Her career leads her to paint film sets in Moscow and Rome, but ultimately, she returns to the very roots of painting by participating in the creation of a replica of the prehistoric Lascaux cave.
Reasons to read Painting Time
āPainting Timeā is a coming-of-age novel that explores themes of art and craftmanship, while focussing on the mastery of techniques like ātrompe l’Åilā painting ā where a work that is not ārealā can still convey ātruthā. The novel is partly set in Brussels during Paulaās student years. It is a slow-paced novel, rich in philosophical reflections about the nature of art, rather than being driven by plot. Maylis de Kerangal is a contemporary French writer who has won many literary awards, including the Prix MĆ©dicis (2010) and the Premio Gregor von Rezzori (2014), both for her novel āBirth of a Bridgeā (āNaissance dāun pontā).
Setting: Brussels (Belgium) & Lascaux (France)
Original title: Un monde Ć portĆ©e de main
Year of publication: 2018
Nr of pages: 240
