Art: Analysis of Major Characters
The analysis of major characters in the context of art explores the perspectives of three individuals—Serge, Marc, and Yvan—each embodying distinct approaches to the concept of art and its evaluation. Serge, a dermatologist, represents a viewpoint heavily influenced by societal standards and trends, often leading him to accept contemporary art without question, which creates tension with his friend Marc. Marc, an engineer, values rationality and logic, finding himself at odds with the seemingly absurd nature of Serge’s artistic appreciation, ultimately pushing him to assert his own perspective through drawing on the canvas, which symbolizes a breakthrough in imaginative thinking. Yvan, a soon-to-be-married stationery salesman, serves as a mediator caught in the middle of this conflict, striving for harmony between his friends while struggling with his own indecisiveness about art. This trio's dynamics highlight the complexity of subjective interpretations of art and the existential question, "What is art?" Their interactions demonstrate how personal biases and the desire for validation from peers can shape one’s understanding of artistic value, ultimately suggesting that art can provoke both conflict and creative engagement.
Art: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Yasmina Reza
First published: 1994
Genre: One-act play
Locale: Paris
Plot: Absurdist comedy
Time: Present day
Serge, a young and successful dermatologist. Verging on the pretentious, Serge is the sort of man who allows himself to be carried by the whims of popular culture. The absurdity of calling a plain white canvas, with white lines, “art” is lost on him. He is angered by Marc's evaluation of this art as “shit,” not because Marc thinks it's absurd, but because Marc fails to name by whose criteria he is making his judgment, as though using one's own judgment is ludicrous. Serge is incapable of having his own original thought, or generating his own evaluation, because of his dependence on the “standards” of others.
Marc, a young engineer. To some extent, Marc is also incapable of original thought, but only because he relies on reason over imagination, and he feels personally challenged when his best friend does something so strangely irrational. His intransigence drives the argument to the very brink of violence, and his judgment isolates him from any imaginative appreciation for the plain white canvas with plain white stripes. At the end of their argument, he approaches the canvas and draws a stick figure skiing down the slope of a diagonal line. In so doing, he opens himself to imaginative possibility.
Yvan, a soon to be married; wholesale stationery salesman. Obsequious to a fault, Yvan finds himself caught in the middle of a heated dispute between his two best friends. He is the sort of character who wants everybody to just be happy, to get along. His opinions vacillate between the two extreme views of Marc and Serge. The irony is that though he has no strong opinion about Serge's art, he has the longest rant in the entire play, and he is the one to bear the blow when Marc and Serge come to blows. Serge accuses him of trying to be the “great reconciler of the human race.” Each of his friends feels betrayed by Yvan's failure to take sides with one or the other. For them, his biggest flaw is that he doesn't see the importance of the question—what is art?