Art Historian Bari Hooper on Writing a Van Dyck Detective Novel

In a comment piece for The Art Newspaper, art historian Bari Hooper discusses her transition from non-fiction to fiction with an art historical novel set in 1630s London. Hooper, author of the 2024 book 'The Invention of British Art', is preparing a paperback edition that will require cutting some images and expanding descriptions of others, a process she describes as agonizing. She is also working on an audiobook version, which will demand a different approach to describing art without visual aids. The novel, a detective story, features Anthony van Dyck as the detective, a choice Hooper justifies by noting that artists make good detectives due to their keen observation and pursuit of truth. The Stuart court, with its conflict, intrigue, and treason, provides the backdrop, and Hooper notes that the Civil War began as a culture war over art. Writing fiction, she says, requires a different approach to guiding the reader, with signposts smuggled in rather than explicit, and emphasizes the importance of 'show, don't tell.' The novel, like the audiobook, will have no images, forcing her to describe paintings in words alone, which she calls 'the best training in looking I've ever set myself.' Hooper has spent over 20 years writing non-fiction and finds the challenge of fiction both demanding and rewarding, even if the novel never sees the light of day.