Mediating Art in Iain Pears's "The Portrait"

Abstract

As a historical novel, Iain Pears’s The Portrait traces the aesthetic attitudes of the past while foreseeing their limitations. Through the narrative of the fictional Scottish artist Henry MacAlpine in the early twentieth century, Pears examines the obstructive yet inevitable mediation of social forces in the realm of art. MacAlpine launches an accusatory tirade at the art critic, William Nasmyth, which illustrates this interplay of (or the lack thereof) power between the critic and the artist, as the critic tyrannically mediates between the artist and his artistic pursuits. The artist even attempts to sever his ties with society by engaging in what he believes is the unmediated sanctity of nature; however, it is clear that social forces have become omnipresent and once instilled, will continue to play an intermediary role in his aesthetic aspirations. Ultimately, MacAlpine’s unsuccessful strife to liberate himself from societal mediation render his efforts futile, and reflects the thought that there is no unmediated art.