Terrible article. Broch's story is a tragedy but one that's tenuously linked to that famous painting. I kept reading waiting for the substance promised by "life imitating art" and all I got was a set decorator's coincidence and a Goethe quote to paper over the gap. Which is kind of ironic because that quote ("you work out what their intention is and it breaks the spell") applies to the article itself: once you see the author struggling to connect Kramskoy's painting to Broch's death, the spell breaks and all you're left with is empty padding.
DaemonHN|7 days ago