The master’s thesis summarizes and interprets the novel The Goldfinch by American author Donna Tartt and develops an artistic interpretation based on it. Particular attention is given to the motif of the titular painting by Dutch artist Carel Fabritius and the symbolic connection between the main character, Theo Decker, and the captive goldfinch depicted in the artwork. The thesis also explores the image of the United States of America in an international context, especially through the lens of Hollywood films. By analyzing selected passages and the author’s use of ekphrasis, it demonstrates how Donna Tartt’s descriptive and metaphorical language evokes spaces and objects for the reader.
In the practical section, the thesis presents the process of planning and executing eight illustrations (six large and two smaller ones) inspired by the urban environments of New York and Las Vegas, the two cities where the protagonist experiences key stages of his life. The work discusses the choice of motifs, challenges of depicting real spaces on a large scale—an uncommon approach in the illustration genre—and analyzes the compositions of individual pieces, explaining the artistic decisions in relation to the novel’s content.
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