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The Painter

by Hermann Hesse

Read the book as a PDF: The Painter

Read the book online: The Painter

This week in the book club we will be reading the short story by Hermann Hesse 'The Painter'. The story tells of a young painter who becomes disillusioned with his work and decided he must instead travel the world and experience life in e new way, along his journeys he discovers in himself the burning to pick up the brush once again and begin to paint, but this time he finds a previously lacking truth in his work, revealing something to himself in the process of painting that pleased him greatly. when he returns home one day however he discovers that the people in his town had found some of his paintings, and the way that they come to perceive his paintings is very different to how he sees his own work.

Through the story Hesse touches on several main topics. What is the source of inspiration? where we can find it? and is it perhaps something that we must go out and find, rather than sit and wait for? He also touches on the values of perception in art, how one’s work is seen by others is not often the way the creator intends, does this give the way that the others see it any less credence as it was not the intended view? or is they alternative view of any art just as valuable as the intention? Can art truly be great art is it fails to successfully portray the feelings and emotions it desired to then get misinterpreted? or is the artist releveling a hidden truth that is perhaps visible to others but not to him, an inner truth? Does each viewer, going a step further, bring their own unique view to the art and thus change it?

"Each of us artists, even when he sees a lot to doubt in himself and feels his talents and abilities to be woefully small, has a purpose and task and, when he remains true to himself, can create something, in whatever place he may happen to be, that he alone is able to give.

When you paint with me in Tessin, and we both paint the same motif, each of us paints not so much the little stretch of countryside as his own love of nature, and when faced with the same motif, each does something different, something unique. And many are the painters who were thought to be blunderers or barbarians of art that later proved to be noble warriors in whose works succeeding generations find greater solace, and which are cherished more ardently than the great works of classic talents!" Hermann Hesse

About the Author

Born in Calw a small town in Swabia, on July 2, 1877, Hesse was raised in a religious household. His Father, Johannes who had been a pietistic missionary in India, continued to work in the ministry when he returned to Germany. His mother, Marie, was an assistant to her own father, Herman Gundert, director of the Calw publishing house, one of the leading pietistic book companies in Europe.

As reflected in Demian, and other works, he believed that "for different people, there are different ways to God"; but despite the influence he drew from Indian and Buddhist philosophies, he stated about his parents: “their Christianity, one not preached but lived, was the strongest of the powers that shaped and moulded me".

Hesse himself was also a poet and an accomplished painter. He said about his own work; "My little watercolours are kinds of poems or dreams, which provide but a distant memory of "reality," and change it according to personal feelings or needs; the fact that I am a mere amateur is something I never forget."

What is the book club?

Join us every week for a book club, each week we will read a new short story of part of a larger book, the books will be made available as an audio book and we will meet as a group via zoom to chat about the story. All are welcome, hope to see you there. 

How to join the club to chat

The zoom link to join will apear above on this page at 3PM on Thursday. To join you will need a phone/tablet or laptop with a built in camera and microphone (most modern devices come with this) you may need to download the zoom app onto your phone if you are using a phone to join.

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