Masterpiece

Marvin watches as James examines the picture some more. Marvin believes he is out of sight, but James greets him. James calls Marvin “little guy,” then contemplates whether or not Marvin is a girl, deciding that “little guy” fits better, much to Marvin’s relief. James tells Marvin that he’s excited to show the picture to his dad but confides that he isn’t sure how to tell people that it’s not his own work.

Karl arrives, and Mrs. Pompaday leads him to James’s room, excited to show Karl the drawing. Karl is prepared to compliment the work no matter what but is taken aback by the drawing’s detail and skill. Karl compares it to the works of Albrecht Dürer, a German Renaissance artist who did many pen-and-ink drawings among other mediums. James is happy for his father’s praise but still disconcerted by the fuss over work that isn’t his.

Karl decides he’ll take James to the Metropolitan Museum of Art that afternoon to show James how his work compares to the drawings of Old Masters. They decide to take the drawing so James can see his work next to the works in the museum. Marvin panics, knowing the beetles won’t be able to retrieve the drawing if Karl and James take it. Karl tucks the drawing safely into the cover of James’s math textbook.

Mrs. Pompaday is also worried about them taking the drawing because she hasn’t had a chance to show her friends yet. Karl assures her he’ll keep it safe. The three humans leave James’s room, but James hangs back and returns to Marvin. James invites Marvin to join them, promising he’ll take care of him. Seeing no other way to stay with the drawing, Marvin climbs aboard James’s finger. James carefully tucks Marvin into his jacket pocket.

Karl and James walk to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Marvin, tucked safely in James’s pocket, marvels at the hustle and bustle of the city. He’s never been outside of the Pompaday’s apartment—all he knows of the outside world, he learned from the Pompaday’s television.

Marvin recalls the story of Aunt Cecile, the family explorer, who emptied a teabag and used it to parachute out of the Pompaday’s window, never to be seen again. Marvin wonders where she is now and if she ever regretted her decision to leave.

Karl, James, and Marvin arrive at the museum. James protectively cups his hand over his pocket to ensure Marvin doesn’t fall. Marvin peeks at the banners hanging from the building but cannot read them. Despite understanding human speech and deciphering human time, beetles have never been able to decode human writing. Marvin realizes how useful it would be if he could read and write.

Karl leads the way to the exhibit. Marvin tries to peek at the drawings, but James is walking too fast and too far from them. Finally, they stop in front of the Dürer drawings. James offers his finger to Marvin, who climbs aboard. James deposits Marvin on his shoulder, and Marvin takes cover under the collar of James’s jacket. Marvin admires the meticulous execution of each line.

Karl pulls out the drawing and holds it up. He exclaims how similar James’s—or what he believes to be James’s— technique is to Dürer’s. They move slowly through the rest of the exhibit. James stops in front of a drawing of a woman wrestling with a lion. Karl explains the drawing is one of a set by Dürer called Fortitude. Karl tells James that fortitude means strength and courage. Marvin observes that he could do a drawing like that.

An older man recognizes Karl and calls to him, distracting the group from the artwork.

The older man, Denny, approaches Karl and James. Denny is one of Karl’s old friends from college. Karl introduces Denny to James and asks Denny what he’s doing in New York. Denny works as a curator for a museum in California but is in New York for the exhibit, which borrows drawings from Denny’s museum.

Denny points out the Dürer that Karl and James are viewing and a similar drawing next to it by Bellini. Both drawings feature a woman wrestling a lion, but each is distinct in style. Marvin prefers the Dürer to the Bellini because the Dürer is more delicate and precise.

Denny tells them he’s helping Ms. Balcony, or Christina, with the placement of the artwork and gestures Christina over. Denny introduces her to Karl, suggesting she’s heard of him and his work. Christina says she hasn’t heard of him or seen his work. Karl gets a bit embarrassed and frustrated, but Christina assures him she doesn’t know much past the 1400s. Marvin cannot fathom how long ago that was.

Christina asks James if he likes the drawings. James is shy but nods. Christina tells James about how Dürer studied under Bellini, pointing out the similarities and differences between the two drawings. She asks James which he prefers, and James indicates he likes the Dürer better.

Karl tells them that James likes to draw as well and pulls out Marvin’s drawing to show them. Christina is impressed, asking James if he traced the work. James tells her he just copied what he saw out his window. Christina holds the work up next to Dürer’s, comparing the techniques. She says the drawing “could have been done by a Renaissance master” (67).

Marvin is flattered by the comparison. Christina invites James to come with her so she can show him something.

Marvin ducks under James’s collar to avoid being seen by Christina, who has leaned down to look James in the eyes. Karl argues with Christina that they really came to see the exhibit and don’t have time to do anything else. Christina pleads, and Denny convinces Karl to let James see what Christina wants to show him.

Christina leads the group to the Drawings and Prints Department behind a blasé wooden door. Denny insists on using his key to open the door. He remarks that he wants to get all the use he can out of his keys before returning them. His possession of keys foreshadows what we learn later in the novel: that he’s the thief. 

Christina leads them to her office at the end of the corridor. It’s filled with packed bookshelves and a long wooden table with several chairs. She gestures for James and Karl to take a seat and presents a large book, opening it to a page with another Dürer drawing. This drawing is like Fortitude; it’s called Justice and features a woman holding a sword in one hand and a set of scales in another. James asks if it’s the same woman from the other drawing. Christina tells him that it isn’t but that all Dürer drawings share a similar melancholy. James asks why the subjects are sad. Christina explains that Dürer had a difficult life and a bad-tempered wife who only cared about money. Marvin thinks Dürer’s wife sounds like Mrs. Pompaday.

Denny adds that Dürer cared about beauty and tried to make ordinary things seem beautiful. Karl adds that it sounds a lot like James’s drawing. Karl and Christina go back and forth over whether the sadness of Dürer’s work was a deliberate choice or a reflection of his own life, and Karl seems annoyed with Christina.

James and Marvin continue to examine Justice. James notes that Justice was not part of the museum’s exhibit. Christina and Denny exchange glances. Impatient, Karl asks if this is all Christina wanted to show James. Christina asks James if he’s ever tried to copy a drawing the same way he copied the scene outside his window. James admits to trying to copy cartoons. Christina asks if he’d be willing to try to copy Dürer’s Fortitude. Karl asks what the point of that would be. Denny is also curious about Christina’s request. Christina says she doesn’t know; she is curious if James could do it.

Karl says they don’t have time, and James, panicked, says his drawing materials are at home. Christina offers to let James take the book home, flipping to the page where Fortitude is displayed. To persuade James, Christina gushes about how detailed Dürer’s work was and compares it to James’s drawing. Marvin is flattered. Denny and Christina go back and forth about the beauty of Dürer’s work. Marvin hopes James will agree, despite being concerned about what the rest of the beetles will think. James finally agrees to give it a try.

Christina then shouts that there’s a bug on James’s shoulder.