A Blank Canvas

by Robert Hollingworth

Renowned abstract artist, the curmudgeonly octogenarian Giles Paumen, is the head of a family of artists, each of whom he considers less talented than himself. His son Laurence is a conceptual artist and lecturer – code for the fact that, unlike his father, he cannot paint at all. However, granddaughter Sophie has inherited the genes and is making a name for herself as a painter of massive portraits, not that Giles would ever dream of expressing a positive word about her work.
When a new national art prize is announced, each of the Paumen’s secretly enters, the prize galvanizing them to embark in new directions. Giles will complete a landscape honouring his recently deceased wife. Laurence heads to Uluru intent on capturing the true spirit of Australia in this most iconic of outback locations. And Sophie decides to portray the malevolence lurking beneath the benign exterior of that most awful of men, the chauvinist.
What none of them predicts is that they will become embroiled in an art fraud which threatens to undermine their reputations and devastate their careers. Here, the truth of their narcissistic and insecure personalities is revealed. So too, the underbelly of the art world is exposed in all its ugly, and hilarious, glory.

320 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2018

Reviews

[Tundra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be an entertaining and amusing story with some clever and witty incite into the nature of the Art World, artists and art fraud. It was also enjoyable because it has a relatively happy ending - which doesn’t seem to happen that often - at least not in the books I read. It was slightly predictable with a plot dependent on a number of coincidences but I’m happy to say it added to my enjoyment.

[Suzy Dominey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my type of book but the title intrigued me . Easy to read and the book was very enjoyable

[Marcus Hobson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a hugely enjoyable voyage into the contemporary art world by Australian writer and artist Robert Hollingsworth. I note that he is both artist and writer because I think this is what lends this book so much of its authenticity. As much as it is about art this book is also about family; three generations of the Paumen family.
Grumpy patriarch Giles with a long held reputation for large abstract pieces, his son Laurence who found his way out of his father's shadow through conceptual and performance art, and Laurence's daughter Sophie who is already making a name for herself with massive portraits. Giles does not consider his family members to be as talented as himself and has the selfish outlook on life that only a recently octogenarian can summon.
During the course of the book, the three generations will all hear about a new commission open only to the descendants of Dutch settlers in Australia, and all three will independently start to work on their entry without informing the others.
Sophie is perhaps the most promising of the group, but she constantly feels aggrieved at the lack of either praise or acknowledgement from her grandfather. This sense that she is being let down will lead her to experience the one night at reproducing one of the large abstract paintings by her grandfather and then sell it weeks later for a no questions asked cash payment to a dubious art dealer. The fall out when someone attempts to auction off the fake painting will cause deep rifts within the family and push relationships to breaking point.
The finale, when Laurence turns the burning of the fake painting into a piece of performance art, sees everyone begin to understand how important family can be, once everyone is out of hospital. A satisfying conclusion to a very enjoyable read.


Three and a half stars.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book overall but wasn’t sure about the ending.

[Bronwyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an impulse purchase for me, based solely on the blurb. I work as an editor in an art gallery, so I had high hopes for a 'satirical masterpiece' about the world of contemporary art. Alas, this failed to live up to expectation on just about every level: clunky, didactic writing that goes on for pages and pages without anything much actually happening (but plenty of tedious back story as the characters unnecessarily explain their thought processes); poor pacing throughout, and information revealed late in the story that could have been much more interesting if worked into the plot sooner; and a bit too much preaching from the author for my liking. Yes, he clearly knows the art world well, demonstrated in part by all the name dropping -- everyone from Pollock to de Kooning to Arthur Boyd to Yayoi Kusama gets a mention -- but the reader is left with the overwhelming impression that the book was written to make a point about the generational differences in the art world and the enduring conflict between making money and making art for art's sake.

It's worth noting that the first chapter of the novel was originally written as a short story, and on that count I think it's a resounding success. In fact, I quite enjoyed the first 4-5 chapters, but the author was unfortunately not able to sustain the tightness of the writing into the second half of the book. Four stars for the first few chapters, but a solid two for the rest. Sorry, Mr Hollingworth.

[Susanne (Pages of Crime) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book as it's by an Australian author and centres around the Australian art scene, however it was a little disappointing on a number of levels.
At times preachy and over explanatory this short book repeatedly makes the same point. It felt, to me, like the author was trying to both educate and show off his knowledge all at the same time while threading the stories of the numerous characters in between.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easy read. Not much of a story from where I can see. Anyone care to chat about it's Virtues?

[Glenys · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three generations of a family of artists.
Different styles, personalities and attitudes but fiercely competitive.
A delightful tale.