Claude Lantier, a gifted painter, struggles to reconcile his artistic vision with the harsh realities of the Parisian art scene. Driven by an obsession to create a singular, definitive work of art, Lantier finds himself increasingly isolated from his peers and his personal life. The narrative follows his descent into professional failure and psychological instability as he battles the rigid expectations of the Academy. Zola employs a third-person perspective to document the protagonist's decline within the competitive and often hostile environment of 19th-century France.

Discussion often centers on the novel's function as a semi-autobiographical reflection of Zola's own creative anxieties and his complex friendship with Paul Cézanne. Readers frequently highlight the meticulous detail used to recreate the atmosphere of the Parisian art scene during the emergence of Impressionism. Critics often point to the balance between the protagonist's internal psychological collapse and the external pressures of a changing cultural landscape. The narrative is widely regarded as a significant contribution to the study of artistic temperament and the societal rejection of new aesthetic movements.