The Nominal Theory of Good Art Book

Nominal: existing or being something in name or form only

William McCauley's brilliant new novel - THE NOMINAL THEORY OF GOOD ART - begins with his choice of title, a fact that isn't fully appreciated until the reader finishes the last page of the book. McCauley understands the world of art so fully that he is able to write satire on this subject as well as anyone writing today. The more the reader knows about art and the vagaries of the constant attempt to describe the journey of art history and art present in word classifications the funnier his writing becomes. But even for the 'art novice' reader the stories contained in this incomparably cohesive work of characters inside and outside the art world is painted o vividly that the book stands on solid ground purely as a novel.

McCauley elects to set his story in Seattle, a city that is outside the mainstream of art but one that tries valiantly to be considered otherwise. There are two sets of characters: Wally is an aging man who as such has been lateral pirouetted out of his job, feels dejected and abused, has a fall which results in brain damage which in turn alters the manner in which Wally views the world: the world of the ordinary (television, job, family) becomes the matrix of perception Wally feels compelled to paint. If ever there were a PTSD that was positive, Wally is experiencing it, painting ceaselessly and drawing exceptionally well - so well that despite his family's fear of his obsession with art, Wally becomes a fine artist. The other set of characters include Charles, an artist unable to find his niche, doomed to failure, and always creating new definitions of art to describe his 'success' in his mind (Neo-Realistic Patternist Progressivist painting!), accompanied by a strangely sad wannabe painter Boyce, and their struggle to deal with the gallery world of Charles' 'girlfriend' gallery owner Janice. The manner in which McCauley examines the interplay between these two sets of characters, a clever device for discussing the meaning of art and how the world deals with the mind of the artist in terms of gallery acceptance and financial rewards, is the stuff of which true comedic writing is made. In many ways the story resembles the two sides of Greek drama - comedy and tragedy - but McCauley handles this juxtaposition so deftly that he has created a tale and characters that stay in the mind long after the book ends.

Towards the end of the story there is one of the more honest 'simple man's view' stated by Wally's family: 'Wally's never gonna be like he was. He ain't a sick man that needs to be made well by some doctor cuttin' out part of his brain. He's a worm turned into a butterfly, and butterflies don't go back to bein' a worm no matter what you do to their brains. It come to me while I was watchin' him paint. A sort of peace was settlin' in me and it got me to wonderin' why.....Wally is what he is, an' he can't help it - the joy he gets from his paintin' is just like that butterfly movin' about without any purpose but flapping its wings - it is what that creature does. An' painting is what Wally does.' It is this kind of tender observation about a world of struggle and creativity and what that really means to the reSt of us that makes this book as endearing a read as it is a brilliant satire. McCauley has written a winner.

Grady Harp