The Oval Portrait

My Thoughts

The tone of this story is dark and sad. The protagonist is injured and brought to manision to rest and recover from an unknown malady. Upon being brought into a mysterious room he notices many portraits on the wall. He also finds a book that explains all of the paintings in the room. He lights a candle so that he can read the book when the light brings out a previously hidden portrait near him. The portrait is of a young woman and looks to be exquisitely and meticulously painted. It is so intriguing done that the protagonist hurries to find it's entry in the book.

The book states that the picture depicts a particular young woman who married the artist that painted the portrait. The woman didn't care for her husband's obsession with his craft but loved him enough not to bother him with complaining. One day her husband decided he wanted to paint her portrait. While she didn't like the idea, she accepted and positioned herself on a chair directly below a light. The artist worked tirelessly to get the painting perfect. Minutes turned to hours, and hours turned to days, and finally, days turned into weeks. After the final stroke was completed he looked over towards his model in horror to find that she had died.

My Rating

I would rate this story a 3.7 out of 5. The woman loved her husband so much that she obliged his request to paint her despite her hate for his neglect while he painted. He was so involved with his art that he pushed the rest of the world aside, even his bride. She posed for days and days and finally succumbed to what I can only guess was exhaustion and passed away, remaining in the position in which she sat upon first starting the process of painting.