The Portrait of the Illustrator: Reconciling the Esthetic and the Ethical in "The Real Thing"

插畫家的肖像：〈真品〉的美學與倫理

10.6258/bcla.2003.59.15

李欣穎(Hsin-Ying Li)

亨利．詹姆士 ； 真品 ； 肖像畫 ； 美學 ； 倫理 ； Henry James ； The Real Thing ； portrait painting ； esthetics ； ethics

臺大文史哲學報

59期（2003 / 11 / 01）

423 - 425+427-445

英文

批評家一向認為亨利．詹姆士的〈真品〉闡揚創作者如何超越真實而創造藝術。少部分的批評家則注意到故事的道德主題，即悲憫的胸懷才能造就偉大的藝術。然而這兩種創作法則在故事中卻互相抵觸。本文認為〈真品〉的藝術家敘述者其實是詹姆士的負面教材。小說家藉由評比攝影、插畫與肖像三種視覺藝術，譏刺敘述者無法超脫浪漫的理想主義進入創意的寫實主義。攝影被視為缺乏創意與深度，而插畫卻力求捕捉特定類型之共通特質，唯有肖像兼顧了形似與神似。不同的美學目的更影響了藝術家與模特兒之間的倫理。敘述者做為插畫家，只將職業模特兒當作道具；唯因他夢想成為肖像畫家，才能同情落魄求職的紳士淑女。可惜他欠缺觀察力與包容心，終究未能將人生的真實轉化為藝術的真實。

Henry James' ”The Real Thing” has traditionally been read as a lesson in art: namely, that art is a transformation rather than a copy of reality. A few critics have also commented on the moral theme of the story: that human compassion makes a better artist. The two readings, however, conflict with each other, because the artist in the story is forced to turn his back on his non-professional models to maintain his artistic integrity, while conceding that his art suffers ”a permanent harm.” This paper argues that the artist-narrator of the story actually fails the test to pass from romantic idealism to creative realism, which would have reconciled the esthetic with the ethical. The three art forms in the story-photography, illustration and portraiture-reflect James' appraisal of the creative process. Photography, as literary realism, lacks both creativity and depth. Illustration, meanwhile, though the narrator stresses imagination, seeks generalizations at the expense of individuality. Only portraiture achieves both verisimilitude and character. The differences in esthetic purposes affect the ethical relation between the artist and his subject. The illustrator-narrator rarely treats his professional model as more than props on a stage. His ambition to become a portraitist, on the other hand, leads him to sympathize with the Monarchs. Yet his lack of the penetrating eye and of an impartial understanding suggests that he finally falls short of his aspirations. James, tale thus teaches, by a negative example, not so much now to transcend life to achieve the real thing in art, but how to transform the real thing in life into the real thing in art.

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