# Art and the Artist in Là-Bas

> Theme guide for Là-Bas by J.-K. Huysmans.

The novel critiques the literary world, the commercialization of art, and the isolation of the artist, with Durtal rejecting modern literary circles and seeking a more profound, stylistically rich, and spiritually engaged form of expression.

## Where it surfaces

- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/i): Durtal's ideal of art is found in the Primitives and Grünewald, who achieve a fusion of earthly detail and spiritual transcendence, contrasting with the naturalists' focus on the mundane.
- [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/ii): Durtal's rejection of naturalism and his search for a more spiritual, less vulgar art form.
- [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/iv): Gilles de Rais is depicted as a refined aesthete and patron of the arts, whose love of beauty coexists with his monstrous crimes.
- [Chapter XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/xii): Durtal's theory of Pygmalionism explores the artist's love for his own creation, blurring lines between art, desire, and sin.
- [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/xvi): Durtal and Des Hermies discuss the artist's isolation from the public and the degradation of literature.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/themes/art_and_the_artist
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/themes