Alive in Shape and Color

Even before Lawrence Block could rest on his laurels from In Sunlight or In Shadow, a question arose: what would he do for an encore? There is such a wealth of artists who have produced art that could trigger a literary response. Suppose each author was invited to select an art piece that inspires them from the whole panoply of visual art—from the cave drawings at Lascaux to a contemporary abstract canvas on which the paint has barely dried—and write. Lawrence shared this proposal and what a dazzling response! Joyce Carol Oates picked Le Beaux Jours by Balthus. Warren Moore chose Salvador Dali's The Pharmacist of Ampurdam Seeking Absolutely Nothing. Michael Connelly, who sent Harry Bosch to Chicago for a close look at Nighthawks, has a go at The Garden of Earthly Delights by Harry's namesake Hieronymous Bosch. S. J. Rozan finds a story in Hokusai's The Great Wave, while Jeffery Deaver's A Significant Find draws its inspiration from—yes— those prehistoric cave drawings at Lascaux. And Kristine Kathryn Rusch moves from painting to sculpture and selects Rodin. This is an impressive amalgamation of visual art and fiction displaying masterful writing that doesn't dissaapoint.