A THING OF BEAUTY by
What is the purpose of art? Is it to elevate our lives or shatter our assumptions? That's the question the leading citizens of a New England resort wrestle with when first prize in the community art competition goes to an anonymous nude. While the judges congratulate themselves on their progressive tastes, the competition's wealthy sponsor, Mrs. Leonard C. Bouffant, is horrified. Her horror turns to...
What is the purpose of art? Is it to elevate our lives or shatter our assumptions? That's the question the leading citizens of a New England resort wrestle with when first prize in the community art competition goes to an anonymous nude. While the judges congratulate themselves on their progressive tastes, the competition's wealthy sponsor, Mrs. Leonard C. Bouffant, is horrified. Her horror turns to outrage when she discovers that the artist is the mailman who keeps losing her deliveries. But as she embarks on a campaign to lobby for a "more appropriate" winner--"something involving daisies or an old barn" --- her efforts run aground when an influential New York art critic arrives on the scene, hell-bent on championing the work of this formerly unknown "artist of the people."