The Masterpiece

A symbol that regularly appears throughout the novel is that of landscapes. Within the dominant motif of artwork, several characters comment—usually with surprise—that Roman does not paint landscapes despite being surrounded by the immense natural beauty of Topanga Canyon. Grace, by contrast, marvels at the landscape beyond his mansion the first time she sees it, and that sense of wonder is evoked again on their trip north through California when she requests Roman to stop the car so she can admire the natural landscapes around them.

It is not until Roman has gone through the crisis of his near-death experience and begun to consider faith that he first attempts to paint a landscape, based on a line that Grace draws for him on his canvas. Thus, the ability to marvel at the beauty of a landscape and the desire to paint one symbolizes the characters’ awareness and appreciation of God’s artistry. At the beginning of the novel, Roman is unaware of the masterpiece of God’s design right outside his own window; similarly, he is also unaware of the way that God has been bringing beauty out of the pain of his own life. However, by the end of the novel, Roman acknowledges the work of God in his life as a masterpiece and seeks to emulate God’s artistry in his artistic creations.