The Madonna of the Future

"The Madonna of the Future" by Henry James is a story set in Florence, Italy, that looks at the big dreams artists have and what happens when those dreams don't come true. We follow an American artist named Theobald, who wants to paint the perfect Madonna, mixing everything great about past paintings of Mary. The story is told by another artist, who watches Theobald chase his dream, inspired by a woman named Serafina. She is his muse. As the story goes on, it becomes clear that Theobald's high hopes might not match reality, and the story is a sad look at the battle between what artists want to achieve and what life actually allows, ending with a feeling of failure and things lost.