In a world dedicated to the plight of the weak and the suffering . . . who will defend the joyous?when journalist Trish vinson is sent to cover the controversial show of painter Joseph Anton, she doesn't know what to expect. The art world's rarefied arbiters of public taste denounce his vibrant, lushly erotic work as corrupt and pornographic. But Trish is astonished when the radiantly joyful universe created by Anton's masterful brushwork transports her. Trish understands his artistic vision viscerally and when the writer and painter meet, they are drawn together by a strange and powerful fate that will transform both of their lives forever.Anton recognizes that Trish uniquely personifies the rapturous exaltation in his art. In her, he sees the embodiment of a feminine soul on fire. She becomes his lover and his model, and their dynamic collaboration will produce passionate masterworks that elicit such wildly popular acclaim that Trish becomes a cultural icon.But Trish will soon endure a harsh initiation into the dark side of fame when a powerful detractor, who sees the shameless reflections of Trish in Anton's art as an affront to accepted standards of morality, sets out to destroy the beautiful young woman.The maverick artist will discover a new way of championing his values and vision. No longer can his art be left to speak for itself. The artist must become a man of action.The Living Image is a daring and provocative novel that ruthlessly examines the role of art in society, the struggle between good and evil, and the insidious collective forces that are perversely driven to destroy human happiness.