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<rss xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:podcast="https://podcastindex.org/namespace/1.0" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" version="2.0"><channel><title>Unknown Masterpiece</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/unknown-masterpiece--7088456</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><atom:link href="https://www.spreaker.com/show/7088456/episodes/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><language>en</language><category>Books</category><copyright>Copyright Literary Fiction Genre</copyright><image><url>https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg</url><title>Unknown Masterpiece</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/unknown-masterpiece--7088456</link></image><lastBuildDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2026 09:14:32 +0000</lastBuildDate><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:owner><itunes:name>Literary Fiction Genre</itunes:name><itunes:email>spreaker64@podcastlibrary.org</itunes:email></itunes:owner><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:category text="Arts"><itunes:category text="Books"/></itunes:category><itunes:category text="History"/><itunes:category text="Society &amp; Culture"/><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><podcast:guid>9e657123-ff04-52be-b871-c2bb7653b7ff</podcast:guid><itunes:type>episodic</itunes:type><item><title>At the Sign of the Cat and Racket-Honoré de Balzac</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/at-the-sign-of-the-cat-and-racket-honore-de-balzac--74396619</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74396619</guid><pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2026 09:01:18 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74396619/at_the_sign_of_the_cat_and_racket_honore_de_balzac.mp3" length="79798819" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>9965</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Out of Bohemia A Story of Paris Student-Life-Gertrude Christian Fosdick</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/out-of-bohemia-a-story-of-paris-student-life-gertrude-christian-fosdick--74367347</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74367347</guid><pubDate>Sun, 06 Sep 2026 09:00:59 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74367347/out_of_bohemia_a_story_of_paris_student_life_gertrude_christian_fosdick.mp3" length="104975365" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>13109</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Diatessaron A Harmony of the Four Gospels-Tatian</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/diatessaron-a-harmony-of-the-four-gospels-tatian--74345891</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74345891</guid><pubDate>Sat, 05 Sep 2026 09:00:46 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74345891/diatessaron_a_harmony_of_the_four_gospels_tatian.mp3" length="187974101" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>23473</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Armand Durand-Rosanna Eleanor Leprohon</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/armand-durand-rosanna-eleanor-leprohon--74318363</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74318363</guid><pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 09:00:52 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74318363/armand_durand_rosanna_eleanor_leprohon.mp3" length="221955412" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>27717</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Another Study of Woman-Honoré de Balzac</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/another-study-of-woman-honore-de-balzac--74297683</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74297683</guid><pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2026 09:00:46 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74297683/another_study_of_woman_honore_de_balzac.mp3" length="47390812" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>5918</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Late Mattia Pascal-Luigi Pirandello</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/late-mattia-pascal-luigi-pirandello--74276937</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74276937</guid><pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 09:00:57 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74276937/late_mattia_pascal_luigi_pirandello.mp3" length="250721942" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>31309</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius, Book 2-Niccolò Machiavelli</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/discourses-on-the-first-decade-of-titus-livius-book-2-niccolo-machiavelli--74258114</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74258114</guid><pubDate>Tue, 01 Sep 2026 09:00:57 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74258114/discourses_on_the_first_decade_of_titus_livius_book_2_niccolo_machiavelli.mp3" length="134226353" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>16762</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>History of the United States, Vol. V Sectional Conflict &amp; Reconstruction-Charles Austin Beard, Mary Ritter Beard</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/history-of-the-united-states-vol-v-sectional-conflict-reconstruction-charles-austin-beard-mary-ritter-beard--74240624</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74240624</guid><pubDate>Mon, 31 Aug 2026 09:00:51 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74240624/history_of_the_united_states_vol_v_sectional_conflict_reconstruction_charles_austin_beard_mary_ritter_beard.mp3" length="84554073" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>10559</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Indians in Wisconsin's History-John M. Douglass</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/indians-in-wisconsin-s-history-john-m-douglass--74224705</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74224705</guid><pubDate>Sun, 30 Aug 2026 09:00:50 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74224705/indians_in_wisconsin_s_history_john_m_douglass.mp3" length="44273406" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>5529</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Priest and His Disciples (Shaw Translation)-Hyakuzō Kurata</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/priest-and-his-disciples-shaw-translation-hyakuzo-kurata--74200937</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74200937</guid><pubDate>Sat, 29 Aug 2026 09:00:50 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74200937/priest_and_his_disciples_shaw_translation_hyakuzo_kurata.mp3" length="165386786" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>20653</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Conciliatory or Irenical Animadversions on Antinomians and Neonomians-Hermann Witsius</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/conciliatory-or-irenical-animadversions-on-antinomians-and-neonomians-hermann-witsius--74171846</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74171846</guid><pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2026 09:00:57 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74171846/conciliatory_or_irenical_animadversions_on_antinomians_and_neonomians_hermann_witsius.mp3" length="119501686" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>14922</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Prelude To Adventure-Hugh Walpole</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/prelude-to-adventure-hugh-walpole--74143078</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74143078</guid><pubDate>Thu, 27 Aug 2026 09:00:54 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74143078/prelude_to_adventure_hugh_walpole.mp3" length="177880577" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>22213</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Canadians of Old-Philippe Aubert de Gaspé</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/canadians-of-old-philippe-aubert-de-gaspe--74089648</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74089648</guid><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 09:01:01 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74089648/canadians_of_old_philippe_aubert_de_gaspe.mp3" length="273885626" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>34201</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Moon and Sixpence-W. Somerset Maugham</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/moon-and-sixpence-w-somerset-maugham--74065699</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74065699</guid><pubDate>Tue, 25 Aug 2026 09:00:45 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74065699/moon_and_sixpence_w_somerset_maugham.mp3" length="226408300" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>28273</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Love in a Mask, or Imprudence and Happiness-Honoré de Balzac</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/love-in-a-mask-or-imprudence-and-happiness-honore-de-balzac--74041019</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74041019</guid><pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2026 09:02:14 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74041019/love_in_a_mask_or_imprudence_and_happiness_honore_de_balzac.mp3" length="51049972" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>6375</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Lady With the Dog and Other Stories-Anton Chekhov</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/lady-with-the-dog-and-other-stories-anton-chekhov--74018647</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74018647</guid><pubDate>Sun, 23 Aug 2026 09:02:02 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74018647/7080_lady_with_the_dog_and_other_stories_anton_chekhov.mp3" length="98985368" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>12361</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Life and Times of Kateri Tekakwitha, The Lily of the Mohawks-Ellen Walworth</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/life-and-times-of-kateri-tekakwitha-the-lily-of-the-mohawks-ellen-walworth--73994664</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73994664</guid><pubDate>Sat, 22 Aug 2026 09:01:38 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73994664/life_and_times_of_kateri_tekakwitha_the_lily_of_the_mohawks_ellen_walworth.mp3" length="272310841" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>34005</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Story of a Modern Woman (Version 2)-Ella Hepworth Dixon</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/story-of-a-modern-woman-version-2-ella-hepworth-dixon--73971312</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73971312</guid><pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2026 09:01:41 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73971312/16390_story_of_a_modern_woman_version_2_ella_hepworth_dixon.mp3" length="209616613" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>26176</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Visions and Revisions-John Cowper Powys</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/visions-and-revisions-john-cowper-powys--73948432</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73948432</guid><pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2026 09:01:46 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73948432/visions_and_revisions_john_cowper_powys.mp3" length="196736070" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>24568</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Adventure of the Broad Arrow An Australian Romance-Morley Roberts</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/adventure-of-the-broad-arrow-an-australian-romance-morley-roberts--73923861</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73923861</guid><pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2026 09:01:30 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73923861/18449_adventure_of_the_broad_arrow_an_australian_romance_morley_roberts.mp3" length="115991592" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>14485</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Is Shakespeare Dead-Mark Twain</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/is-shakespeare-dead-mark-twain--73898801</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73898801</guid><pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:01:46 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73898801/is_shakespeare_dead_mark_twain.mp3" length="85255632" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>10646</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Soren Kierkegaard, Various Readings-Various</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/soren-kierkegaard-various-readings-various--73874534</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73874534</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 09:01:56 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73874534/soren_kierkegaard_various_readings_various.mp3" length="128630190" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>16062</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Girl with the Golden Eyes-Honoré de Balzac</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/girl-with-the-golden-eyes-honore-de-balzac--73853296</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73853296</guid><pubDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2026 09:01:40 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73853296/girl_with_the_golden_eyes_honore_de_balzac.mp3" length="130082087" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>16244</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Hermann and Dorothea-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/hermann-and-dorothea-johann-wolfgang-von-goethe--73836606</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73836606</guid><pubDate>Sat, 15 Aug 2026 09:02:32 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73836606/hermann_and_dorothea_johann_wolfgang_von_goethe.mp3" length="71920116" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>8981</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Metamorphosis (version 3)-Franz Kafka</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/metamorphosis-version-3-franz-kafka--73800893</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73800893</guid><pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 05:39:06 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73800893/metamorphosis_version_3_franz_kafka.mp3" length="66025493" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>8245</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Unknown Masterpiece-Honoré de Balzac</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/unknown-masterpiece-honore-de-balzac--73344849</link><description><![CDATA["Unknown Masterpiece" by Honoré de Balzac delves into the complexities of artistic ambition and the nature of creation. This thought-provoking work explores the struggles of artists as they grapple with their visions and the societal expectations placed upon them. Balzac's insights into the human condition and the pursuit of beauty remain relevant today, resonating with anyone who has ever faced the tension between personal aspiration and external validation. The themes of creativity, passion, and the often-painful journey toward artistic fulfillment make this audiobook a timeless reflection on the quest for greatness in a world that can be both inspiring and unforgiving.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73344849</guid><pubDate>Sun, 02 Aug 2026 18:07:20 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73344849/20981_unknown_masterpiece_honore_de_balzac.mp3" length="41407466" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>"Unknown Masterpiece" by Honoré de Balzac delves into the complexities of artistic ambition and the nature of creation. This thought-provoking work explores the struggles of artists as they grapple with their visions and the societal expectations...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA["Unknown Masterpiece" by Honoré de Balzac delves into the complexities of artistic ambition and the nature of creation. This thought-provoking work explores the struggles of artists as they grapple with their visions and the societal expectations placed upon them. Balzac's insights into the human condition and the pursuit of beauty remain relevant today, resonating with anyone who has ever faced the tension between personal aspiration and external validation. The themes of creativity, passion, and the often-painful journey toward artistic fulfillment make this audiobook a timeless reflection on the quest for greatness in a world that can be both inspiring and unforgiving.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>5171</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Unknown Masterpiece - Honore de Balzac</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/unknown-masterpiece-honore-de-balzac--72389454</link><description><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/72389454</guid><pubDate>Sat, 06 Jun 2026 15:55:54 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/72389454/unknown_masterpiece_honore_de_balzac.mp3" length="41361701" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:transcript url="https://transcription.spreaker.com/starship/20ab690a-76fa-4c79-a08e-ed46730aeff4/20ab690a-76fa-4c79-a08e-ed46730aeff4.srt" type="application/x-subrip" language="en"/><podcast:transcript url="https://transcription.spreaker.com/starship/20ab690a-76fa-4c79-a08e-ed46730aeff4/20ab690a-76fa-4c79-a08e-ed46730aeff4.txt" type="text/plain" language="en"/><podcast:transcript url="https://transcription.spreaker.com/starship/20ab690a-76fa-4c79-a08e-ed46730aeff4/20ab690a-76fa-4c79-a08e-ed46730aeff4.vtt" type="text/vtt" language="en"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[“The Unknown Masterpiece” (“Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu”) is a novella by Honoré de Balzac, published with revisions in 1845, after earlier versions in 1831 and 1837. “The Unknown Masterpiece” grapples with questions of real life vs. artistic representations of life, and artist’s intentions vs. audience reception. We follow a discussion between three artists in the early 1600s. Two of these artists are based on historical figures — Nicolas Poussin and Frans Pourbus (Porbus) the Younger. The third is a fictional creation — “Master Frenhofer,” a genius painter who has been struggling for years to complete his masterpiece. Frenhofer is full of ideas — perhaps too full. He discourses passionately about art and representation, but Balzac the realist was himself distrustful of this intellectualization of artistic processes, and wrote that this story “shows the disorder that thought in all its development produces in the artist’s soul.” Balzac might have been astonished to learn that the very discourse of which he was so suspicious would become, a century later, a fetish among leading artists. Paul Cézanne declared, “Frenhofer, c’est moi!” Picasso was commissioned to illustrate a centenary edition of the story, and was so taken with its ideas — “haunted” by Balzac, as he said — that he made a point of taking up residence in the Parisian street that is the setting for the story. It was in this studio that he created his giant masterpiece “Guernica.” “The Unknown Masterpiece” is today recognized as a seminal document in the history of ideas about modern art. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>5171</itunes:duration><itunes:keywords>artistic,artists,balzac,frenhofer,ideas,literary,masterpiece,pourbus,unknown,uvre</itunes:keywords><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/eea3bf2fb1165ef9510029ffaf81ca93.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item></channel></rss>
