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The Center of the World: A Novel of J. M. W. Turner and His Lost Painting
Alternating between nineteenth-century England and present-day New York, this is the story of renowned British painter J. M. W. Turner and his circle of patrons and lovers. It is also the story of Henry Leiden, a middle-aged family man with a troubled marriage and a dead-end job, who finds his life transformed by his discovery of Turner’s The Center of the World , a mesmerizing and unsettling painting of Helen of Troy that was thought to have been lost forever.
This painting has such devastating erotic power that it was kept hidden for almost two centuries, and was even said to have been destroyed...until Henry stumbles upon it in a secret compartment at his summer home in the Adirondacks. Though he knows it is an object of immense value, the thought of parting with it is Henry is transfixed by its revelation of a whole other world, one of transcendent light, joy, and possibility.
Back in the nineteenth century, Turner struggles to create The Center of the World , his greatest painting, but a painting unlike anything he (or anyone else) has ever attempted. We meet his patron, Lord Egremont, an aristocrat in whose palatial home Turner talks freely about his art and his beliefs. We also meet Elizabeth Spencer, Egremont’s mistress and Turner’s muse, the model for his Helen. Meanwhile, in the present, Henry is relentlessly trailed by an unscrupulous art dealer determined to get his hands on the painting at any cost. Filled with sex, beauty, and love (of all kinds), this richly textured novel explores the intersection between art and eroticism.
This painting has such devastating erotic power that it was kept hidden for almost two centuries, and was even said to have been destroyed...until Henry stumbles upon it in a secret compartment at his summer home in the Adirondacks. Though he knows it is an object of immense value, the thought of parting with it is Henry is transfixed by its revelation of a whole other world, one of transcendent light, joy, and possibility.
Back in the nineteenth century, Turner struggles to create The Center of the World , his greatest painting, but a painting unlike anything he (or anyone else) has ever attempted. We meet his patron, Lord Egremont, an aristocrat in whose palatial home Turner talks freely about his art and his beliefs. We also meet Elizabeth Spencer, Egremont’s mistress and Turner’s muse, the model for his Helen. Meanwhile, in the present, Henry is relentlessly trailed by an unscrupulous art dealer determined to get his hands on the painting at any cost. Filled with sex, beauty, and love (of all kinds), this richly textured novel explores the intersection between art and eroticism.
375 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
15 people are currently reading
272 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Van Essen
3 books1 followerThomas Van Essen graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and earned his PhD in English from Rutgers University. He lives in New Jersey with his family. The Center of the World is his first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
May 9, 2013
The Center of the World is the story of a painting that doesn't exist - but by the time I turned the last page, I wished it did.
The painting in question bears the same title as the novel, and it is a work of both erotic power and remarkable beauty and detail. Thomas Van Essen leads us, deliberately and steadily, through the stories of the different people in different times who experience the painting. From its inspiration and creation by J.M.W. Turner at Lord Egremont's estate in the 19th century to its discovery hidden away in a humble barn in the 21st century, we see how it changes hands over the years, and how each person who sees it is changed in their turn.
Van Essen introduces us to Turner, a well-known figure in the art world, as a very flawed man - a drinker and a man not very skilled in the social graces, a painter more skilled at landscapes than portraits, but nevertheless a master of capturing light on canvas. In The Center of the World he creates his masterwork, a sensual, scandalous portrait of Helen of Troy awaiting her lover Paris, which only a few will ever see or even know of. Those who do experience it are always changed - from Lord Egremont, Turner's patron for a time, to Elizabeth, his inspiration and model for Helen, to Henry, who finds the painting while cleaning out a barn on his father's property, to the art dealer who has been looking for the painting for much of his life. There are others the painting touches along the way, and each has their story to tell.
The mastery in The Center of the World lies in how these stories connect, and how Turner's masterwork is revealed to us slowly, steadily, instilled with a sense of wonder and mystery. Through letters between intimate friends, through business communications, through diary entries we learn of the history of the painting through the eyes of those who experienced it. It's a deliberate and steady journey, at the end of which we feel as if we've seen it for ourselves, and come to understand a little more about both the process and the possibility of art.
If a painting like the one described in The Center of the World truly existed, it could change the world. I would dearly love to see it...in these pages, I very nearly did.
The painting in question bears the same title as the novel, and it is a work of both erotic power and remarkable beauty and detail. Thomas Van Essen leads us, deliberately and steadily, through the stories of the different people in different times who experience the painting. From its inspiration and creation by J.M.W. Turner at Lord Egremont's estate in the 19th century to its discovery hidden away in a humble barn in the 21st century, we see how it changes hands over the years, and how each person who sees it is changed in their turn.
Van Essen introduces us to Turner, a well-known figure in the art world, as a very flawed man - a drinker and a man not very skilled in the social graces, a painter more skilled at landscapes than portraits, but nevertheless a master of capturing light on canvas. In The Center of the World he creates his masterwork, a sensual, scandalous portrait of Helen of Troy awaiting her lover Paris, which only a few will ever see or even know of. Those who do experience it are always changed - from Lord Egremont, Turner's patron for a time, to Elizabeth, his inspiration and model for Helen, to Henry, who finds the painting while cleaning out a barn on his father's property, to the art dealer who has been looking for the painting for much of his life. There are others the painting touches along the way, and each has their story to tell.
The mastery in The Center of the World lies in how these stories connect, and how Turner's masterwork is revealed to us slowly, steadily, instilled with a sense of wonder and mystery. Through letters between intimate friends, through business communications, through diary entries we learn of the history of the painting through the eyes of those who experienced it. It's a deliberate and steady journey, at the end of which we feel as if we've seen it for ourselves, and come to understand a little more about both the process and the possibility of art.
If a painting like the one described in The Center of the World truly existed, it could change the world. I would dearly love to see it...in these pages, I very nearly did.
June 23, 2014
I'm a half-rabid Turner fan and ran across a mention of this book in the general info swirling around Mike Leigh's biopic coming to the US soon: Mr Turner. It won the Palme d'Or at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. So I was expecting too much, something akin to standing in front of a Turner in a quiet museum gallery. But this book is another case of Great Idea/Indifferent Execution. It reminds me of Nancy Horan's 2007 bestseller, Loving Frank, about the complicated love life of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. That one was painful to read--the conception of the story was truly brilliant, but why couldn't it have come into the head of a better writer? The Center of the World is told in the same plodding tone. The characters are stubbornly one-dimensional and colorless--so unlike a Turner!--and the reader has to bear up under numerous repetitions of the same action from supposedly different POVs. The voices all sound the same, whether coming to us from 18th century upper-crust England or 21st century middle class America, and none of them has a whit of poetic brilliance. Over and over again the author makes excuses for his own pale descriptive abilities by putting apologetic words in the mouths of his stiff and vapid characters. They tell us how little they can convey their sense of wonder, of color and power, how powerless they are to say what they feel. So the brilliant promise of the story escapes into helplessness. It's like looking of a copy of a copy of a copy of a Turner. I admire Mr. Van Essen for the keen imagination it took to conceive of this story, the research he did to bring the tools to the table, and the fact that he got it beautifully published. But oh it disappoints.
May 15, 2017
In preparation for seeing the JMW Turner paintings in the Tate in London I went to the library site to find a book about him. I found this. It is a nicely constructed story of a secret painting and its provenance from the time it was painted till now. An absorbing audiobook that was part historic fiction and part detective novel. I recommend it and an entertaining read but will need to cast my net wider to learn about Turner.
March 9, 2024
I listened to this as an audio book and was pleased that different actors read different people as the story is told through multiple perspectives and across time periods.
I appreciated that the research around Petworth House, the Third Earl of Egremont and his relationship with Turner and the arts more generally was sound. Certainly the Earl was a patron, he was also, as portrayed, a man who used and cast off women fathering more than 40 children in the process. However, there was much I could not admire. I struggled with the made up painting. Again, as we know through Ruskin's claims of destroying many such works and more recent exhibitions (Between the Sheets for example), Turner created a large number of scenes of women, couples and sexual acts, but a painting so evocative that it could make the most impotent man potent (I so wanted to say that more crudely - as the book does) and incite lust in all who see it. It just didn't work for me and felt simply like a vehicle for a novel that felt a bit like Victorian erotica. And that leads me to my biggest gripe - every single female character in this novel, even those seen briefly while walking in the park, is described by appearance and their potential for sexual arousal and gratification. This characterization of all women did not sit well with me.
This is a genre bending novel, historical fiction based on some fact, art theft and detection, erotica. Characters that expressed themselves in very similar ways despite the century plus of passing time. It also, for this reader, felt very long and repetitive in the telling, until the final reveal which was rushed.
I appreciated that the research around Petworth House, the Third Earl of Egremont and his relationship with Turner and the arts more generally was sound. Certainly the Earl was a patron, he was also, as portrayed, a man who used and cast off women fathering more than 40 children in the process. However, there was much I could not admire. I struggled with the made up painting. Again, as we know through Ruskin's claims of destroying many such works and more recent exhibitions (Between the Sheets for example), Turner created a large number of scenes of women, couples and sexual acts, but a painting so evocative that it could make the most impotent man potent (I so wanted to say that more crudely - as the book does) and incite lust in all who see it. It just didn't work for me and felt simply like a vehicle for a novel that felt a bit like Victorian erotica. And that leads me to my biggest gripe - every single female character in this novel, even those seen briefly while walking in the park, is described by appearance and their potential for sexual arousal and gratification. This characterization of all women did not sit well with me.
This is a genre bending novel, historical fiction based on some fact, art theft and detection, erotica. Characters that expressed themselves in very similar ways despite the century plus of passing time. It also, for this reader, felt very long and repetitive in the telling, until the final reveal which was rushed.
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January 22, 2024I don’t know enough about Turner’s history and paintings to judge where fact ended and fiction started in this story, though some clearly was. It was a fascinating collection of narratives joined by a ‘secret’ painting of Hellen of Troy as Paris approached amidst battle. The painting completed by Turner during time at Petworth Estate, it’s creation told by one narrator in letters, and it’s subsequent history by others. The narrative evolves through several perspectives jumping backwards and forwards in time. I listened to the story and all the readers were wonderful to listen to, the characters engaging and the story intriguing.
October 18, 2014
Poorly written, poorly motivated characters, cardboard descriptions and a painting humiliating the main character. What's not to love?
July 5, 2013
This week I read The Center of the World by Thomas Van Essen. When asked about his inspiration for writing the novel, Van Essen answered that while in a nineteenth century nonfiction graduate course, his professor related a story about Ruskin supposedly burning J.M.W. Turner's erotic sketches. Van Essen began to wonder whether or not the sketches were actually part of a larger project, like an erotic painting unknown to the art world. It could be possible because most artists of Turner's caliber wouldn't waste time on studies.
The Center of the World is told in multiple voices and spans the Romantic period when Turner was painting, the early twentieth century when the robber barons were feathering their nests, and present-day New York City and Princeton. Turner is challenged by his patron Lord Egremont to paint a painting to surpass all others about a topic that, according to Turner, rules the world. The subject of the painting is Helen of Troy, and the painting is entitled The Center of the World. I won't go into details about Lord Egremont and Turner's conversation because it is very graphic.
The story is also about middle-aged Henry Leiden living in contemporary Princeton. He is a borderline alcoholic and seems so unhappy with his life until he finds The Center of the World hidden in an outbuilding at his family's lake house in New York state. The painting has a supernatural power attached to it: People have visions, behave oddly, and can actually see Greek gods when they view the painting. Given the paintings ability to transfix viewers, it seems that it's a good thing few have ever known of its existence. The painting's power reminds me a bit of the Mirror of Erised from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Eventually unscrupulous art dealer Arthur Bryce suspects Turner painted something that has been off the art world's radar, and he throws tons of money, manpower and energy into tracking it down: Proving the provenance of the painting is a major plot point of the story. I admit that I love the Romantic period in art, music, and literature, but The Center of the World transcends mere Romanticism and is something mystical and terrifying at the same time.
I found the characters in the novel to be either way too ruthless or insipid except for Turner's muses for Helen and Paris. Although the depiction of Turner is historically accurate on a few levels, I struggled with his character in the story. I did appreciate his dedication to his art and the process of painting The Center of the World. This novel is a must read if you appreciate historical fiction and Turner's art. Van Essen's debut is impressive, and I enjoyed how the composition of the painting is slowly revealed through different points of view.
I kept my iPad with my while reading The Center of the World so I could view some of the art mentioned in the book while reading it, and I posted a few of the paintings on my blog post.
The Center of the World is told in multiple voices and spans the Romantic period when Turner was painting, the early twentieth century when the robber barons were feathering their nests, and present-day New York City and Princeton. Turner is challenged by his patron Lord Egremont to paint a painting to surpass all others about a topic that, according to Turner, rules the world. The subject of the painting is Helen of Troy, and the painting is entitled The Center of the World. I won't go into details about Lord Egremont and Turner's conversation because it is very graphic.
The story is also about middle-aged Henry Leiden living in contemporary Princeton. He is a borderline alcoholic and seems so unhappy with his life until he finds The Center of the World hidden in an outbuilding at his family's lake house in New York state. The painting has a supernatural power attached to it: People have visions, behave oddly, and can actually see Greek gods when they view the painting. Given the paintings ability to transfix viewers, it seems that it's a good thing few have ever known of its existence. The painting's power reminds me a bit of the Mirror of Erised from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Eventually unscrupulous art dealer Arthur Bryce suspects Turner painted something that has been off the art world's radar, and he throws tons of money, manpower and energy into tracking it down: Proving the provenance of the painting is a major plot point of the story. I admit that I love the Romantic period in art, music, and literature, but The Center of the World transcends mere Romanticism and is something mystical and terrifying at the same time.
I found the characters in the novel to be either way too ruthless or insipid except for Turner's muses for Helen and Paris. Although the depiction of Turner is historically accurate on a few levels, I struggled with his character in the story. I did appreciate his dedication to his art and the process of painting The Center of the World. This novel is a must read if you appreciate historical fiction and Turner's art. Van Essen's debut is impressive, and I enjoyed how the composition of the painting is slowly revealed through different points of view.
I kept my iPad with my while reading The Center of the World so I could view some of the art mentioned in the book while reading it, and I posted a few of the paintings on my blog post.
December 10, 2013
If I could give this book SIX stars on Goodreads, I would!!!!!
As I grow older, I find myself getting more and more picky about what I'm reading. This novel was, according to Kirkus, one of the most overlooked books of 2013. It shouldn't be. This is an absolutely WONDERFUL book. The story centers around, The Center of the World, a JMW Turner painting which, alas, does not exist. This is a fascinating book that goes back and forth in several different time periods from the point of view of several different people. However, it doesn't matter because they are all bound together by this magnificent painting that was a portrait of Helen of Troy commissioned by the 3rd Earl of Egremont.
In the novel, the Earl has commissioned the painting as an extraordinary portrait of his mistress, Mrs. Spencer. The painting is extraordinary according to the book. It changes whomever looks at it. The earl keeps it locked in a cupboard As Mrs. Spencer says toward the end of her life, it is the light that she sees. The painting is later owned by wealthy financier, Cornelius Rhinebeck, who also keeps it locked in a cupboard in a private "cabin" and tells no one, not even any family members, about it.
The book explores the line between art and eroticism. Generations have considered the painting to be pornographic which is why the owners have kept it hidden.
Then there's Henry Leiden who has inherited a small house on a lake in the Adirondacks that was part of the Rhinebeck estate before it was boarded up. Henry and his wife are having marital problems. His father has died leaving him nothing but the cabin and a lot of junk. He's avoided cleaning it out, but now decides to tackle it. It's on the water, and his wealthy neighbor offers him $1M for it. He could use the money, but is not sure he wants to accept the offer. While moving some junk, he finds a closed cabinet. When he opens it, there is the painting framed with a brass plaque saying "The Center of the World" by JMW Turner. Soon he is being pursued by an unscrupulous art dealer. Despite the fact that an unknown Turner could easily fetch $16M, he can't bear to be parted from it, such is the effect that this painting has on him as well.
This is officially my favorite book of the year. It's absolutely WONDERFUL.
As I grow older, I find myself getting more and more picky about what I'm reading. This novel was, according to Kirkus, one of the most overlooked books of 2013. It shouldn't be. This is an absolutely WONDERFUL book. The story centers around, The Center of the World, a JMW Turner painting which, alas, does not exist. This is a fascinating book that goes back and forth in several different time periods from the point of view of several different people. However, it doesn't matter because they are all bound together by this magnificent painting that was a portrait of Helen of Troy commissioned by the 3rd Earl of Egremont.
In the novel, the Earl has commissioned the painting as an extraordinary portrait of his mistress, Mrs. Spencer. The painting is extraordinary according to the book. It changes whomever looks at it. The earl keeps it locked in a cupboard As Mrs. Spencer says toward the end of her life, it is the light that she sees. The painting is later owned by wealthy financier, Cornelius Rhinebeck, who also keeps it locked in a cupboard in a private "cabin" and tells no one, not even any family members, about it.
The book explores the line between art and eroticism. Generations have considered the painting to be pornographic which is why the owners have kept it hidden.
Then there's Henry Leiden who has inherited a small house on a lake in the Adirondacks that was part of the Rhinebeck estate before it was boarded up. Henry and his wife are having marital problems. His father has died leaving him nothing but the cabin and a lot of junk. He's avoided cleaning it out, but now decides to tackle it. It's on the water, and his wealthy neighbor offers him $1M for it. He could use the money, but is not sure he wants to accept the offer. While moving some junk, he finds a closed cabinet. When he opens it, there is the painting framed with a brass plaque saying "The Center of the World" by JMW Turner. Soon he is being pursued by an unscrupulous art dealer. Despite the fact that an unknown Turner could easily fetch $16M, he can't bear to be parted from it, such is the effect that this painting has on him as well.
This is officially my favorite book of the year. It's absolutely WONDERFUL.
April 14, 2013
The Center of the World is a sweeping tale about a fictional painting of the same name by J.M.W. Turner depicting an erotic scene of Helen of Troy. The story shifts back and forth from 19th century England where we witness the creation of the painting and present day New England where a married man bored with his life stumbles across it hidden away in his family's lake house. The existence of the painting has been kept secret since its creation, but rumors of it have intrigued many people over the years including an art collector/dealer who sets his sights on finding it.
I really enjoyed this novel and suspect that anyone who has a love of art or background in art history would appreciate it even more than I did. I did find it a little ridiculous how people's lives were completely taken over by this painting, but I suppose it is a commentary on the power of art in our lives. There is no actual painting so there's nothing to actually see, but I wish I could have seen it. Despite the many descriptions of it throughout the book I had a hard time visualizing what it would have looked like.
I really enjoyed this novel and suspect that anyone who has a love of art or background in art history would appreciate it even more than I did. I did find it a little ridiculous how people's lives were completely taken over by this painting, but I suppose it is a commentary on the power of art in our lives. There is no actual painting so there's nothing to actually see, but I wish I could have seen it. Despite the many descriptions of it throughout the book I had a hard time visualizing what it would have looked like.
June 30, 2013
I do love a good novel about art and artists, and this one doesn't disappoint. It centers around a mysterious, marvelous painting by J.M.W. Turner, moves back and forth between the present and 1865, and involves a host of characters -- some fictitious, some not. It's a lot of fun, and also a bit deeper than it lets on until the end, which was a good surprise. Good summer reading! (Whatever that means...)
Stay tuned for a more detailed piece on the book and its author in Bloom and The Millions in a couple of weeks.
Stay tuned for a more detailed piece on the book and its author in Bloom and The Millions in a couple of weeks.
June 2, 2016
It's a book about art and obsession, focusing on a painting of hypnotic intensity that transforms any observer. It's also a charming portrait of J.M.W. Turner, the man, and a glimpse into his time, and a love story set in 21st Century Princeton, New Jersey, and 19th Century England. It's an elegant book with a simple, but attractive plot, centered on the long lost painting "The Center of the World" and the people who made it possible, and those who lived much later, but could not get it out of their minds.
January 19, 2022
This book about a transforming erotic painting is really well written and interesting. I enjoyed truly distinctive voice between different characters and ages.
I think I had a hard time believing that a painting could be so transformative. So As I read I kept expecting him to explain to us what this big deal is, which of course he never really does. I think we are meant to suspend our disbelief about the painting; it is the assumption not the conclusion. Of course I was all turned around about the painting until the very end. Had I figured that out sooner maybe I would have enjoyed the book more.
In the end perhaps the problem was that we had too many details about it, being about Helen of Troy etc. This same story might be written using an infinity stone or a Phoenix feather. At least I, for one, wouldn’t get caught up with what was so great about it, and what did it look like. Perhaps the fact that the tool is something mundane, that we have all seen, undermines the story a little.
In the end the truth of the gods/mystery of life theme is interesting in one sense, it doesn’t seem to change everyone the same way, and it remains unknown to the populace at large. If that were the point of the book, I would say that this author has a great sense of humor.
I think I had a hard time believing that a painting could be so transformative. So As I read I kept expecting him to explain to us what this big deal is, which of course he never really does. I think we are meant to suspend our disbelief about the painting; it is the assumption not the conclusion. Of course I was all turned around about the painting until the very end. Had I figured that out sooner maybe I would have enjoyed the book more.
In the end perhaps the problem was that we had too many details about it, being about Helen of Troy etc. This same story might be written using an infinity stone or a Phoenix feather. At least I, for one, wouldn’t get caught up with what was so great about it, and what did it look like. Perhaps the fact that the tool is something mundane, that we have all seen, undermines the story a little.
In the end the truth of the gods/mystery of life theme is interesting in one sense, it doesn’t seem to change everyone the same way, and it remains unknown to the populace at large. If that were the point of the book, I would say that this author has a great sense of humor.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2022
I picked this book up from a free little library because my public library has been only curbside pickup due to OMICRON for weeks. I am so grateful to whomever donated this book, and I hope that person found another great book in return. I adored this book for its beautiful prose. This author seamlessly traveled through time with speech from the British 19th century, to New York 1920s, to present day. I’m not fond of reading anything in Old English, but this writer makes me wish people nowadays spoke so eloquently. I am also not one to become enraptured by a painting, but I wish The Center of the World truly existed. I’d like to think it does and I wish this book offered a rendition of the painting because I couldn’t imagine how all of the warriors were so clearly seen outside of Helen’s window!
September 18, 2022
Writing a book about a piece of art that doesn't exist is virtually impossible. Being a visual person found that to be the fatal flaw of this book.
February 17, 2014
A portrait by the great 19th century English painter J.M.W. Turner has been discovered hidden in a barn at a cottage on Saranac Lake. It is a portrait depicting Helen of Troy in a manner that overwhelms the viewer with the power of her beauty and the compelling nature of her sexuality. The painting is stunning to Henry Leiden who has found it. We find out that Turner, known for his land and sea scapes and his rendering of light, has used as his model for Helen Mrs. Spencer, the mistress of the massively rich Lord Egremont, and young Charles Grant as her lover Paris. Turner and Grant are Egremont's house guests at Petworth, his estate in Sussex.
This cleverly plotted novel shifts between the 1830's at Petworth, where the characters are involved in creating the painting, and the lives of Henry and wife Susan in the Adirondacks and their home in Princeton, New Jersey on 2003. Leiden's professional and personal life in his middle age is unsatisfying to him. His work at a foundation is humdrum and his marriage is failing. He is utterly transfixed by the painting and it lifts him to a plane of inspiration and yearning he has never imagined. But it isolates him further from his normal life. He does not reveal the painting to his wife and she reacts to his increasing distance as if he's having an affair, which in a sense he is.
A art dealer of highly questionable professional ethics hears hints of the discovery of the painting, a work he has for years vaguely suspected existed. He dispatches his assistant, Gina, on a search to confirm who has it and she discovers through historical research and detective work that it is in possession of Leiden. This portion of the story is suspenseful as Gina comes closer to discovering that the painting really exists and where it might be.
These three threads (and a fourth about how the painting came to be hidden in an Adirondack camp outbuilding) are weaved throughout the book in a suspenseful and convincing manner. The astounding impact of the portrayal of Helen through Turner's art is revealed through the reactions of all who have seen it. It was never meant by Turner and his patron and subjects to be seen publicly as its depiction of the power of beauty, love, sexuality and the influence of the gods over men are too powerful to behold. For all the characters in the book who see the painting, their lives are profoundly, if not always happily, changed.
Why use Turner as the artist for this mythical painting? He is not known as a portrait artist nor so much for his depiction of classical scenes. I think it's because of his phenomenal treatment of light. His paintings dazzle with lights of yellow and orange that capture the viewer and draw him into the drama and intent of the painting. It was the light bursting from Helen that so deeply affected the other viewers mesmerizing them to a degree of great intensity and personal meaning. The author's choice of Turner with his vivid and compelling use of light that makes the aspirations, dreams and desires of the viewers surface so achingly.
The ending, not revealed in this review, is well-conceived and in keeping with the immortal sense of the painting in its place in the art world.
This cleverly plotted novel shifts between the 1830's at Petworth, where the characters are involved in creating the painting, and the lives of Henry and wife Susan in the Adirondacks and their home in Princeton, New Jersey on 2003. Leiden's professional and personal life in his middle age is unsatisfying to him. His work at a foundation is humdrum and his marriage is failing. He is utterly transfixed by the painting and it lifts him to a plane of inspiration and yearning he has never imagined. But it isolates him further from his normal life. He does not reveal the painting to his wife and she reacts to his increasing distance as if he's having an affair, which in a sense he is.
A art dealer of highly questionable professional ethics hears hints of the discovery of the painting, a work he has for years vaguely suspected existed. He dispatches his assistant, Gina, on a search to confirm who has it and she discovers through historical research and detective work that it is in possession of Leiden. This portion of the story is suspenseful as Gina comes closer to discovering that the painting really exists and where it might be.
These three threads (and a fourth about how the painting came to be hidden in an Adirondack camp outbuilding) are weaved throughout the book in a suspenseful and convincing manner. The astounding impact of the portrayal of Helen through Turner's art is revealed through the reactions of all who have seen it. It was never meant by Turner and his patron and subjects to be seen publicly as its depiction of the power of beauty, love, sexuality and the influence of the gods over men are too powerful to behold. For all the characters in the book who see the painting, their lives are profoundly, if not always happily, changed.
Why use Turner as the artist for this mythical painting? He is not known as a portrait artist nor so much for his depiction of classical scenes. I think it's because of his phenomenal treatment of light. His paintings dazzle with lights of yellow and orange that capture the viewer and draw him into the drama and intent of the painting. It was the light bursting from Helen that so deeply affected the other viewers mesmerizing them to a degree of great intensity and personal meaning. The author's choice of Turner with his vivid and compelling use of light that makes the aspirations, dreams and desires of the viewers surface so achingly.
The ending, not revealed in this review, is well-conceived and in keeping with the immortal sense of the painting in its place in the art world.
February 5, 2017
“The Center of the World” by Thomas Van Essen is an extraordinarily well-researched fictional glimpse into a rarefied world. It traces the creation and very secret life of a “lost” masterpiece by English painter J.M.W. Turner. The subject of the painting is Helen of Troy, looking out over the battle raging below her while having eyes only for her approaching lover, Paris. It is a painting containing astonishing light effects, the illusion of motion, and so many details that each viewing reveals something new. It projects such sensual power as to make impotent men rise and women turn willingly wanton. Time ceases to have meaning near this painting – days become hours, hours become minutes. The reader knows all this, because it is the exact same experience described by four people who had possession of the painting, and three more who wished they had.
Van Essen pulls off a minor miracle in that the narrative hops from inside one character’s head to another, and forward and backward in time, without losing the reader. Each narrator has a distinct voice, and speech patterns alter by decade: Van Essen’s moderns sound modern, his Victorians give Anne Perry’s fictional characters a run for their money, and his owners in-between hit Fitzgerald and Salinger notes.
No one associated with this painting seems to achieve happiness, however; a truth the reader only realizes as plot events accumulate. Turner never again equals this work. His models quickly lose their lovers or their looks, fading into obscurity. Owners die quickly: from age, accident, or by their own hand. More than one art dealer tries to steal it. More than one man goes to stupid lengths to hide it from a wife.
This is in places a darn sexy book, and in others a darn repetitive book, which eventually details all the links in the chain of this painting’s custody save one (dismissed with “…never mind how…”, which seems a bit lazy). That the painting once again fades into a private collection by book’s end seems both predictable and entirely fitting.
Van Essen pulls off a minor miracle in that the narrative hops from inside one character’s head to another, and forward and backward in time, without losing the reader. Each narrator has a distinct voice, and speech patterns alter by decade: Van Essen’s moderns sound modern, his Victorians give Anne Perry’s fictional characters a run for their money, and his owners in-between hit Fitzgerald and Salinger notes.
No one associated with this painting seems to achieve happiness, however; a truth the reader only realizes as plot events accumulate. Turner never again equals this work. His models quickly lose their lovers or their looks, fading into obscurity. Owners die quickly: from age, accident, or by their own hand. More than one art dealer tries to steal it. More than one man goes to stupid lengths to hide it from a wife.
This is in places a darn sexy book, and in others a darn repetitive book, which eventually details all the links in the chain of this painting’s custody save one (dismissed with “…never mind how…”, which seems a bit lazy). That the painting once again fades into a private collection by book’s end seems both predictable and entirely fitting.
December 17, 2013
I think it'd give this more like a three and half stars. The idea of the story felt original, what happens when an undiscovered masterpiece by Turner is found by an ordinary guy in the modern world. Van Essen successfully weaves together multiple narratives, some from people in contemporaneous times, as well as others throughout significant points in the painting's history. That aspect I liked a lot. Not all of the narratives were as compelling, but they weren't necessarily as important to the overall plot, so I wasn't too bothered that I didn't get to know the inner workings of Rhinebeck, for example.
For me where the book lost a bit of luster was in the description and depiction of the painting itself. If the reader is not familiar with Turner's work and his amazing ability to portray light, I'm not sure that Van Essen's details are sufficient to help the reader visualize what it's really like to stand in front of the real deal. The other difficulty is in the theme and content of the painting itself. This is a made-up painting, the writer imagining what is Turner had turned to the human figure and attempted to portray the "truth of the world" in a painting, which the story posits as being the sexual love/tension between men and women, as embodied by Helen of Troy - the face that launched a thousand ships and drove men to ruin. It's a lofty concept that I'm not entirely convinced the author managed to pull off.
The painting is supposed to be so amazing, so moving, that the making of it was done in secrecy, and it was supposed to be so, I hesitate to call it raunchy, but racy (for it's time) that it couldn't be openly displayed, as well as potentially destroying Turner's name and reputation. In modern times they argue that to bring it to a wider audience (say through reproduction on a coffee mug) would debase it. It's not that I don't agree or understand the arguements, I'm just not sure the content of the painting and the way it's described justifies that level.
In any case, I still enjoyed it the art historical elements, there's a bit of crime and mystery mixed in, overall a good (but not great) read.
For me where the book lost a bit of luster was in the description and depiction of the painting itself. If the reader is not familiar with Turner's work and his amazing ability to portray light, I'm not sure that Van Essen's details are sufficient to help the reader visualize what it's really like to stand in front of the real deal. The other difficulty is in the theme and content of the painting itself. This is a made-up painting, the writer imagining what is Turner had turned to the human figure and attempted to portray the "truth of the world" in a painting, which the story posits as being the sexual love/tension between men and women, as embodied by Helen of Troy - the face that launched a thousand ships and drove men to ruin. It's a lofty concept that I'm not entirely convinced the author managed to pull off.
The painting is supposed to be so amazing, so moving, that the making of it was done in secrecy, and it was supposed to be so, I hesitate to call it raunchy, but racy (for it's time) that it couldn't be openly displayed, as well as potentially destroying Turner's name and reputation. In modern times they argue that to bring it to a wider audience (say through reproduction on a coffee mug) would debase it. It's not that I don't agree or understand the arguements, I'm just not sure the content of the painting and the way it's described justifies that level.
In any case, I still enjoyed it the art historical elements, there's a bit of crime and mystery mixed in, overall a good (but not great) read.
June 5, 2013
Art has always had the power to transform, to take us away to another place, and provide a new perspective. In one image, there are deep emotions and stories told. Powerful art stands the test of time and can itself influence history. Thomas Van Essen takes this concept as a metaphor. He uses a portrait of Helen of Troy “the face that launched a thousand ships” as its centerpiece, the center of the world. The portrait itself makes men and women lie, betray, and fight to keep it under any means necessary.
Moving back and forth and time the story focuses on the creation and later the hunt of a fictional erotic portrait by J.M. W. Turner. Van Essen uses a quote referring to a Turner set of “paintings for personal pleasure” and expands it to a full story. On one end, J.M.W. Turner, his patron, and his muses demonstrate the fevered creation process and the inspiration of the muse. This aspect is very compelling as well as the creation of the art piece and its impact.
However, the present timeline was very tired and flat. The passion that the historical characters had over the art or the chasing of the piece is in sharp contrast to the dull drifting of the present characters. This might be intentional, but it wasn’t very interesting to read. The conclusion on that end as well made the entire section seem pointless.
Furthermore, while I appreciate the respect the author has for art, the way he portrays the art comes up a little short. He goes into how art can be transformative, but it is more the sexual nature of the portrait that holds power over the characters. He makes it seem as if that is the only way art can hold power over the observer. I felt it cheapened the concept. In the end the books end up being half pretty good and half really bad, an uneven read.
Moving back and forth and time the story focuses on the creation and later the hunt of a fictional erotic portrait by J.M. W. Turner. Van Essen uses a quote referring to a Turner set of “paintings for personal pleasure” and expands it to a full story. On one end, J.M.W. Turner, his patron, and his muses demonstrate the fevered creation process and the inspiration of the muse. This aspect is very compelling as well as the creation of the art piece and its impact.
However, the present timeline was very tired and flat. The passion that the historical characters had over the art or the chasing of the piece is in sharp contrast to the dull drifting of the present characters. This might be intentional, but it wasn’t very interesting to read. The conclusion on that end as well made the entire section seem pointless.
Furthermore, while I appreciate the respect the author has for art, the way he portrays the art comes up a little short. He goes into how art can be transformative, but it is more the sexual nature of the portrait that holds power over the characters. He makes it seem as if that is the only way art can hold power over the observer. I felt it cheapened the concept. In the end the books end up being half pretty good and half really bad, an uneven read.
October 27, 2021
Started out really interesting, and we were really impressed with the author's different writing styles to match the setting shifts. But we're about 2/3 of the way now and have pretty much completely lost interest. The book has become fairly depressing and doesn't seem to have a lot of loose ends to tie up still. Will return it to the library.
December 16, 2013
The premise--that a painting, presumably through the agency of the ancient gods, should wield such power over its viewers--is fascinating. Clearly art has psychological power over us, but could it have an almost physical control, expanding one's grasp of the world and its processes and at the same time becoming an addiction? From a literary point of view the book is mostly well done, except perhaps that the ending is not very satisfying. The historical characters are interesting and speak with a distinct voice from their own times. The plot provides enough suspense to hold the reader's attention in addition to the strong characters. I am repelled, however, by the moral universe of the work. Lying, cheating, stealing, and infidelity all seem to be justified in the end to obtain or keep the painting. Whatever the painting inspires in its viewers, such as feelings of grandeur, understanding of the universe, and appreciation of beauty, it does so by trashing friendship, honor, integrity, and love of others. All the pagan vices but none of their virtues.
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March 11, 2015I have not yet seen the movie Mr. Turner, but I suspect it and this novel might be good companion pieces. The novel’s premise that Turner, famous for landscapes and seascapes with few human figures, painted a scene with Helen and Paris so shockingly that the painting was kept hidden by successive owners and inspired feelings of transcendence in everyone who managed to see it strikes me as improbable. Even so, I enjoyed the interplay of multiple perspectives, including a young man visiting Petworth House and Lord Egremont’s mistress (the models for Paris and Helen in the 1830s), a middle-aged American who finds the painting in his family’s Adirondack cottage (originally built by a wealthy industrialist), a young woman working for a New York art dealer, and several others. Van Essen distinguishes their voices clearly and incorporates both 19th-century letters and 21st-century emails to add to the effect. Readers get to see some of the incidents more than once, while the painting remains as the center of everyone’s world.
December 19, 2014
Just too much about too little; too clever to hold me. Finally, what is the focus of this novel..I suppose NOT the painting but the people whom it reaches, touches but that was what was just too much for me in that nothing except the author 'says so' got me the sense of it. Ultimately I felt it was a weak structure around which to build the novel...
I got so annoyed w/ the book that about 30% of the way through I started my process of first the end, then skipping back to pick up various lines of the tale...and even that didn't pull me back to read the whole thing in order.
I got so annoyed w/ the book that about 30% of the way through I started my process of first the end, then skipping back to pick up various lines of the tale...and even that didn't pull me back to read the whole thing in order.
March 10, 2015
It is a Downton Abby meets Princeton. This book has two of the things I hate about books: British 19th Century life and jumping from one century to the other frequently. But I must say it is one of my favorites. Sort of a murder mystery where the only death is by natural causes. I will have to revisit it at some time because I fear I missed parts of it but I found it enthralling and entertaining. I am certainly no art critic but I really enjoyed the appreciation so many in the story had for art and would highly recommend this book to all.
September 2, 2013
I will look for other books by this author. Two stories about the same painting were skillfully combined and each story was compelling. I loved the idea of the power of the fictional painting by a real historical figure. However the book requires some willing suspension of disbelief that a painting could alter lives in the ways that this one did. A unique story skillfully told and credibly researched.
October 15, 2013
I love Turner's art so I was drawn to this book. The multiple story lines were fairly easy to follow early in the book but as the narratives became more complex I kept losing track of the action and characters in each thread. Enjoyed the historical sections but did not feel particularly invested in any of the characters and couldn't buy into why the painting engendered such passionate obsession. The book is worth a read for the quality of the writing and history.
May 17, 2014
I enjoyed this novel. It’s a tale of a painting by the famous British painter J.M.W. Turner - both how it came to be and what happened to the painting in the 100 plus years since it was painted. The tale is told well - and wittily. It deftly handles the different ages and the different customs. It holds a mystery and it is a bit of a mystery. There is real artistry here in the telling of the tale as well as in the painting itself.
May 17, 2015
I am confused. I did an audio version of this book and really enjoyed the different voices. It helped a lot to distinguish who was speaking. I was captivated by the story all along, but then suddenly got lost at the end. Maybe because it was audio and I missed something. I would love to discuss with someone to help me clarify, or maybe I'll get the book and scroll through it so I can understand.
September 22, 2013
All of the different narrators make for a bit of an awkward start, but by the end their distinct voices (and situations) make the story pretty easy to follow. The story itself is pleasant and interesting but not overly thrilling -- definitely one to read all at once to stay in the mood, rather than try to pick up/put down during your commute.
August 2, 2019
This is a beautiful book, and I think it is more about power and obsession than about art and inspiration. The end makes it hurt - the fleeting nature of love, friendship, beauty, the inevitable advance of old age and hardship are given much space in this novel. The aspect I contemplated most is the power of attachment and the pain it causes to all involved...
October 29, 2013
If I could give 4.5 stars, i would.
This story brought me more then I could have imagined.
I wish that I knew of all The great stories that lie behind those remarkable old paintings.
I want to go out and visit musea, hoping to encounter Mr. Van Essen...
I wish I could have a look at The Center Of The World!
This story brought me more then I could have imagined.
I wish that I knew of all The great stories that lie behind those remarkable old paintings.
I want to go out and visit musea, hoping to encounter Mr. Van Essen...
I wish I could have a look at The Center Of The World!
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