Un tableau peu en cacher un autre: sur Là-bas de Huysmans

In Là-bas, Huysmans identifies one painting (Grünewald's Crucifixion), while leaving another unattributed. Critical readings have paid little attention to the former painting, although its unidentified status challenges the reader. Unlike detective fiction, Là-bas never identifies the "culprit," compelling the reader to reflect on the role of the mysterious painting. Ignoring Lessing's division of the arts into temporal and spatial forms, the critics have viewed the novel as the literary equivalent of Grünewald's Crucifixion. Yet, structurally, both Là-bas and the unidentified painting (Saint Jerome by Patenier), rely on "intermittence," a technique that blurs the distinction between literature and the visual arts. (In French) (JP)