Attend an Art Book Discussion
On July 22 Meet at the Walters to Discuss the Novel Waking Raphael
The Art of Mystery series returns to the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, this summer. Consider joining the book discussion group!
On Sunday, July 22, 2007 from 3:00-4:30pm, meet at The Walters Art Museum to discuss murder mystery "Waking Raphael" by Leslie Forbes.
The novel is billed as a worthy addition to the growing list of art and art history novels currently popular.
Urbino, Italy, a beautiful Renaissance city, popular tourist destination, and birthplace of Renaissance painter Raphael, is the setting for this thriller. Forbes pulls us into a hypothetical tale surrounding "La Muta," meaning "The Mute Woman," a masterpiece by Raphael that currently hangs in the National Gallery of the Marches in Urbino.
Charlotte, a repressed British art restorer, works to revive the faded painting "La Muta" while a film company shoots a documentary about her restorative efforts. The painting's restoration pushes a woman - also mute - to an act of violence and sparks an investigation into a nearly-forgotten war scandal. The ensuing events threaten to shatter the silence of the community and the serenity of the inhabitants' lives. The novel includes lush scenes of the Italian countryside and sumptious descriptions of food like tender prosciutto, smooth gelato, and delicate cheeses.
Meet at the Walters Art Museum in Walters Parlor, at 5 West Mount Vernon Place in Baltimore, Maryland. Admission to the museum art collection is free; admission to the Art of Reading Book Club requires registration and is free for members and $5 for non-members. For more information or to register for the Book Club, call 410-547-9000, ext. 335.
