Hidden in the lives and masterpieces of Western art masters
Traces of a complex but colorful relationship

The author of this book, Choi Yeon-wook, says, “Art has the power to heal aching hearts and spread happiness.”
So how did art acquire such power? People grow through change, and that change usually begins with our relationships with others.
We grow little by little through the process of colliding with and being absorbed by people who have different thoughts, different feelings, and different lives than us.

The same goes for painters.
What enabled them to continue painting even in difficult situations was the presence of loved ones, rivals who competed with each other, and friends and supporters who quietly stood by their side.
The work created in this way is not a simple painting, but a record of emotions that blossomed in a relationship.
Because paintings are ultimately expressions of the human heart, we may cry, laugh, and be comforted when we look at them.

As you read this book, you will come to realize that who an artist was with is as important as what he painted.
This is because the person who draws a work changes and grows within the relationships that surround him, and this in turn influences his work.
As you follow the stories of the artists, their relationships with people, and the works they created, you will come across a piece of art that quietly offers words of encouragement and comfort.

The Renoir family, whose wealth was the envy of everyone, appeared to be very happy on the outside.
The children grew up healthy, and Renoir soon became a living master of the French art world.
But behind the scenes, Alin was quietly falling apart.
After giving birth to her second son, Jang, she began suffering from diabetes.
The presence of her cousin Gabrielle, who constantly appears in Renoir's works, also tormented her.
Renoir painted Gabrielle over 20 times, and if you include drawings and sketches, the number reaches hundreds.
Among them, there were quite a few nudes.
Even though it was a work of art, the fact that her husband was drawing his cousin's naked body was something she could not easily accept.

--- p.95

When it comes to sculpture, Michelangelo usually comes to mind first, but among those who have actually seen Bernini's sculptures, few would say that he is inferior to Michelangelo.
After long suffering and deep repentance, he became synonymous with Baroque sculpture.
Although he achieved great success at a young age, he lived a lonely life, being criticized for a moment's big mistake, and was only recognized again after he sincerely repented.
What on earth made him like that?
--- p.130

In 1886, Zola's new book was published.
Cezanne immediately opened his friend's new book.
The title is 『Work』.
The story of the miserable painter Claude, who could not bear the constant failures and all kinds of criticism and committed suicide by hanging himself, was his own story.
Cézanne was shocked by Zola's depiction of himself and became furious.
I was deeply hurt by Zola's writing, which went beyond simply mocking his personality and even questioned his qualifications as a painter.

--- p.154

Cardinal Borghese heard numerous confessions during his life, nearly reaching his mid-30s.
But this was the first confession that felt as sincere as the work he was holding in his hands.
This painting, which contained the atonement of Caravaggio, a murderer, a fugitive, and a sinner, was not just a painting, but his painful confession, and that made the cardinal's heart even more sorrowful.

--- p.241