The Value of Art and Beauty Theme Analysis

The Goldfinch is a monument to art and beauty. It portrays art as what gives life meaning, particularly for people in the depths of despair. The novel’s protagonist, Theo Decker, comes to hold this view from his art-loving mother, Audrey. Whereas life is short, tragic, and cruel, art is a powerful (and in some ways eternal) source of meaning. Indeed, the novel shows that through being connected to art, humans can achieve a taste of immortality. At the same time, the novel also shows that not everyone is willing or able to appreciate art, and some people appreciate it for the wrong reasons. Art can provide a transcendent sense of meaning, but only if it is valued for itself, rather than for the wealth or status it confers.

In The Goldfinch, art is not just an ornament or addition to life; it is the single most important part of existence. This is primarily demonstrated by the fact that the whole plot is driven by an artwork: the titular painting The Goldfinch. After Theo is caught up in a terrorist attack at the Met, he steals this painting, following the instructions of a dying man (Welty). Theo secretly keeps the painting, feeling both wracked with guilt and fear that his crime will be found out and comforted by its existence, both as a remarkable work in itself and as something that keeps him connected to his mother. The painting (and Theo’s secretive concealment of it) drives the plot forward. It adds purpose and meaning to Theo’s life, as he observes when he states: “The painting was the secret that raised me above the surface of life and enabled me to know who I am.”

The Goldfinch is one of few surviving works by the Dutch master Carel Fabritius, who was himself killed in an explosion that destroyed most of his artworks. The parallel between this explosion and the explosion that takes place at the Met highlights how works of art are in constant danger. (Indeed, the fact that the Met was the target of a terrorist attack serves as a further reminder that art is not neutral, apolitical, or insignificant.) Theo and other characters position themselves as people dedicating themselves to saving and preserving art from the threats posed by the world. Theo argues that in doing so, they make their own lives meaningful. Dedicating oneself to art is portrayed as a morally pure and noble pursuit, and a way of forming a connection to the community of art lovers who have existed across human history. For Theo in particular, it is also a way to feel close to Audrey after her death.

At the end of the book Theo says (of the painting), “Insofar as it is immortal (and it is) I have a small, bright, immutable part in that immorality.” Theo’s belief that art and beauty are immortal where humans aren’t originates with Audrey. Before she dies, she observes to Theo, “People die, sure […] But it’s so heartbreaking and unnecessary how we lose things” (she is specifically referring to “things” like artworks). Later, this sentiment is repeated by Hobie, Theo’s guardian, who is a highly-skilled restorer of antiques. Writing a letter to Theo, he notes, “When we are sad—at least I am like this—it can be comforting to cling to familiar objects, to the things that don’t change.” Both Audrey and Hobie make explicitly clear that the value of art lies in the way its meaning transcends time.

Of course, the idea that art is a way to access immortality is especially appealing for Theo, because his whole life is colored by losing his mother when he is a young child. Many other characters in the novel also experience the death of a loved one, and for this reason immortality is appealing to them, too. In this sense, the novel reverses the commonly-expressed view that material objects are frivolous, whereas other aspects of life (love, truth, faith) are more important because they are eternal. The novel suggests that it is in fact art and other beautiful objects that are eternal, whereas something like love is always going to be tainted by loss. This is not to say that artworks themselves cannot be lost or destroyed—indeed, this almost happens to The Goldfinch—but that the meaning that art represents transcends time and does not rely on the survival of any single work. 

Yet while emphasizing the importance of art, Tartt also shows that not everyone values art for the right reasons. For example, the novel is attentive to the many ways in which art and beauty can be cordoned off as the reserve of wealthy people. One way in which this is shown is through the astronomical prices of many of the artworks that feature in the narrative, such as a Rembrandt rescued by art police that is valued at $40 million. Meanwhile, through his work at Hobie’s antique shop, Theo witnesses different kinds of extremely wealthy people who buy antiques. Some of these people (usually those who come from multiple generations of wealth) have extensive knowledge about art, antiques, and other aspects of elite culture, while others don’t seem to know or care much about beautiful things themselves, but only want to possess them as status symbols. Perhaps the most extreme example of people who value art for the wrong reasons are the gangsters who use art as collateral. Like the wealthy people who collect antiques without really caring about them, these gangsters only care about art’s monetary value, rather than being able to see the transcendent meaning that makes works such as The Goldfinch “priceless.”

Having demonstrated the ways in which art makes life meaningful, the novel concludes by heroizing those who dedicate themselves to preserving and appreciating art. It frames this as an almost sacred, morally purifying pursuit, and suggests it is a good antidote to the cruelty and suffering that define mortal life. Ultimately, the fact that there are people who value art for the wrong reasons cannot counter the positive power of art to transform people’s lives.