Also translated as 'The Work', this is the fourteenth novel in the Rougon-Macquart series and tells of the struggles of the protagonist Claude Lantier to paint a great work reflecting his talent and genius. Depicting the bohemian art world of 19th-century Paris, the book explores the rise of Realism, Naturalism and Impressionism in painting, as well as being a fictional account of Zola's friendship with the French artist Paul Cézanne.