Levitan over the evening rest. Over eternal rest

The young knight Albert is going to come to the tournament and asks his servant Ivan to show his helmet. The helmet is pierced through in the last duel with the knight DeLorgue. It is impossible to put it on. The servant consoles Albert by the fact that he repaid DeLorgue in full, knocking him out of the saddle with a mighty blow, from which Albert's offender lay dead for a day and has hardly recovered until now. Albert says that the reason for his courage and strength was fury over the damaged helmet. The guilt of heroism is avarice. Albert laments poverty, the embarrassment that prevented him from removing the helmet from the defeated enemy, says that he needs a new dress, that he alone is forced to sit at the ducal table in armor, while other knights flaunt in satin and velvet. But there is no money for clothing and weapons, and Albert's father, the old baron, is a curmudgeon. There is no money to buy a new horse, and Albert's permanent creditor, the Jew Solomon, according to Ivan, refuses to continue to believe in debt without a mortgage. But the knight has nothing to pledge. The usurer does not give in to any persuasion, and even the argument that Albert's father is old, will soon die and leave his son all his enormous fortune does not convince the lender.

At this time, Solomon himself appears. Albert tries to beg for a loan from him, but Solomon, although gently, nevertheless resolutely refuses to give money even on the knight's word of honor. Albert, upset, does not believe that his father can survive him, Solomon says that everything happens in life, that “our days are not numbered by us,” and the baron is strong and can live for another thirty years. In desperation, Albert says that in thirty years he will be fifty, and then he will hardly need money. Solomon objects that money is needed at any age, only "the young man is looking for quick servants in them", "the old man sees in them reliable friends." Albert claims that his father himself serves money, like an Algerian slave, "like a chain dog." He denies himself everything and lives worse than a beggar, and "gold lies quietly in chests for himself." Albert still hopes that someday it will serve him, Albert. Seeing Albert's despair and his readiness for anything, Solomon gives him hints to understand that the death of his father can be brought closer with the help of poison. At first, Albert does not understand these hints. But, having understood the matter, he wants to immediately hang Solomon at the gate of the castle. Solomon, realizing that the knight is not joking, wants to pay off, but Albert drives him out. Recovering himself, he intends to send a servant for a moneylender to accept the offered money, but changes his mind, because it seems to him that they will smell like poison. He demands to serve wine, but it turns out that there is not a drop of wine in the house. Cursing such a life, Albert decides to seek justice for his father from the duke, who must force the old man to support his son, as befits a knight.

The Baron goes down to his basement, where he keeps chests with gold, so that he can pour a handful of coins into the sixth chest, which is not yet full. Looking at his treasures, he recalls the legend of the king, who ordered his soldiers to put a handful of earth, and how, as a result, a giant hill grew, from which the king could look over vast spaces. The baron likens his treasures, collected bit by bit, to this hill, which makes him the ruler of the whole world. He recalls the history of each coin, behind which there are tears and grief of people, poverty and death. It seems to him that if all the tears, blood and sweat shed for this money now emerged from the bowels of the earth, then there would be a flood. He pours a handful of money into the chest, and then unlocks all the chests, puts lighted candles in front of them and admires the glitter of gold, feeling himself the ruler of a mighty power. But the thought that after his death the heir will come here and squander his wealth, infuriates the Baron and outrages. He believes that he has no right to this, that if he himself had accumulated these treasures by the hardest labors bit by bit, then surely he would not have thrown gold left and right.

In the palace, Albert complains to the duke about his father, and the duke promises to help the knight, to persuade the baron to support his son, as befits. He hopes to awaken paternal feelings in the baron, because the baron was a friend of his grandfather and played with the duke when he was still a child.

The baron approaches the palace, and the duke asks Albert to hide in the next room while he talks with his father. The Baron appears, the Duke greets him and tries to evoke in him the memories of his youth. He wants the baron to appear at court, but the baron is discouraged by old age and infirmity, but promises that in case of war he will have the strength to draw his sword for his duke. The duke asks why he does not see the baron's son at court, to which the baron replies that his son's gloomy disposition is a hindrance. The duke asks the baron to send his son to the palace and promises to accustom him to fun. He demands that the baron appoint to his son a maintenance befitting a knight. Gloomy, the baron says that his son is not worthy of the care and attention of the duke, that "he is vicious", and refuses to fulfill the request of the duke. He says he is angry with his son for plotting paricide. The Duke threatens to bring Albert to justice for this. The Baron informs that his son intends to rob him. Hearing these slander, Albert bursts into the room and accuses his father of lying. The angry baron throws a glove to his son. With the words “Thank you. Here is the first gift of his father. ”Albert accepts the baron's challenge. This incident plunges the duke into amazement and anger, he takes away the baron's glove from Albert and drives his father and son away from him. At that moment, with the words about the keys on his lips, the baron dies, and the duke complains about "a terrible century, terrible hearts."

... (The other three - " Mozart and Salieri », « Stone guest », « Feast in Time of Plague ».)

Pushkin "The Covetous Knight", scene 1 - summary

Pushkin "The Covetous Knight", scene 2 - summary

Albert's father, the baron, meanwhile, goes down to the basement, where he keeps his gold, in order to fill up a new handful of it in the sixth, still incomplete, chest. With a sinking heart, the avaricious knight looks around the accumulated wealth. Today he decides to "arrange a feast for himself": to unlock all the chests and admire them by candlelight. In a lengthy monologue, the Baron discusses the enormous power that money gives. With their help, you can erect luxurious palaces, invite beautiful young nymphs to magnificent gardens, enslave a free genius and sleepless labor, put blood-stained villainy at your service ... (See. Monologue of the Covetous Knight.)

However, money is almost always generated by evil. The stingy knight confesses: he took many of the coins from the chests from the poor widows who had nothing to feed their children. Others, repaid as debt, may have been plundered in forests and on the highways. Inserting the key into the lock of the chest, the miserly knight feels the same as people who “find pleasure in killing” feel when they stab the victim with a knife.

The stingy knight. Painting by K. Makovsky, 1890s

The baron's joy is clouded by only one thought: he himself is already old, and his son Albert is a wasteful and reveler. The father has been saving up wealth for many years, and the offspring is able to squander them in the blink of an eye. The avaricious knight bitterly complains that after death he cannot hide his basement from the “gaze of the unworthy”, come here from the grave and sit on the chests as a “sentinel shadow”.

Pushkin "The Covetous Knight", scene 3 - summary

Albert complains to the duke in the palace that his father had doomed him to dire need. The Duke promises to speak with the Baron about this.

A miserly knight arrives at the palace. Albert hides nearby for a while, and the duke says to the baron: his son is rarely shown at court. Perhaps the reason is that the young knight has nothing to buy good clothes, a horse and armor? The Duke asks the Baron to give his son a decent allowance.

The avaricious knight frowns in response and assures the duke that Albert is a dishonest man who is mired in vices and even tried to rob and kill his father. Albert, hearing this conversation, runs into the room and accuses the parent of lying. The stingy baron challenges his son to a duel, throwing him a glove. Albert picks it up readily.

Overwhelmed by the hatred of father and son for each other, the duke loudly reproaches them both. The stingy knight in excitement shouts that he is stuffy - and suddenly dies. At the last moment, he looks for the keys to the chests on himself. The tragedy ends with the Duke's phrase: "Awful age, terrible hearts!"

One of the most interesting questions in cognitive science is what is human genius.

There are, for example, more or less generally accepted views on genius in mathematics, physics and other natural sciences.

But who is a genius from painting? In our opinion, this is an artist who, with the help of images, symbols and signs, sometimes hidden, but easily captured by the collective unconscious, is able to exert the deepest impact on those around him.

This small study is devoted to this.

Felix, qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas

Publius Vergilius Maro

Hidden images and meanings of one of the most famous paintings by Levitan

(Experiences of artistic investigation)

In large museums around the world, and the Tretyakov Gallery is rightfully one of them, it is sometimes interesting to observe not so much the paintings as the visitors. More precisely, behind some patterns of their behavior when examining exhibitions. You can often pay attention to how they, often in a hurry to inspect as many rooms as possible in one go, stay a little longer near a particular picture. This means that the picture is "hooked" - sometimes at the level of the unconscious, which is often difficult to verbalize.

For example, in one of my favorite halls of the Tretyakov Gallery - "Levitan's Hall" - there are several such paintings. Paintings in which an amazing pedestrian artist managed to encrypt his message at the level of direct appeal to the collective archetypal unconscious - at the level of signs, images and symbols.

Let's take a look at one of his most famous paintings "Above Eternal Peace".

Over eternal rest. 1894 Oil on canvas. 150 x 206. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

This is how it is described on the Tretyakov Gallery website:

“The image of Russian nature, devoid of bright colors and contrasts, is endowed with heroic features in this landscape. The artist contemplates the world as if from a bird's eye view. A panorama of the natural elements majestically unfolds before his gaze ... "

"The Search for Big Images. 1892-1894". The work of I. Levitan in the first half of the 1890s is distinguished by a variety of themes, motives, synthetics of images, and a rich arsenal of artistic means. One of the central sections of the exhibition includes the generally recognized masterpieces of the master, the monumental canvases "At the Pool" (1892), "Vladimirka" (1892), "Above Eternal Peace" (1894, all - State Tretyakov Gallery). They reveal the philosophical warehouse and the dramatic inner world of the artist, his reflections on the frailty of human existence in the face of eternity. (from materials for the exhibition "ISAAC LEVITAN. To the 150th anniversary of his birth", 2010-2011, (http://www.tretyakovgallery.ru/ru/calendar/exhibitions/exhibitions2160/)

And, perhaps, the last quote:

"1892 - creates the famous gloomy trilogy -" Vladimirka "," At the Pool "," Above Eternal Peace "." (http://isaak-levitan.ru/hrono.php)

We are absolutely not ready to agree with the last statement. It may seem like a purely subjective opinion, but at least two pictures from this "trilogy" have never made a "gloomy impression", which we will try to show on the example of the picture "Eternal Peace".

Let's start our little research together.

To begin with, a few preliminary remarks that we will need in the future to confirm our conclusions (even the smallest details will be important here).

First: Water

It is worth recalling that, according to the prevailing opinion of art critics, the picture depicts an imaginary place, drawn from the impressions of the Volga in the area of ​​the city of Plyos and of Lake Udomlya. The Volga near Plyos is wide enough, and flows mainly from west to east (up to Yuryevets, where it turns south). The width of the Volga in the Plyos area is more than half a kilometer. There are islands upstream on the river, and its width there is already more than one and a half kilometers.

It is believed that Levitan began to work on Lake Udomlya, which is located not far from Vyshny Volochok. You can imagine what the lake was like at that time from the landscapes of the artist Vitold Kaetanovich Byalynitsky-Biruli:

An hour of silence. Lake Udomlya. 1911 g.

Church on Lake Udomelskoye. 1910 g.

Modern lake view

town of Plyos

Second: Temple

It is also believed that Levitan depicted in the picture a different church that actually stood on the shore of the lake (see above). As a model, he took a church from the city of Plyos (the wooden church of Peter and Paul of the 16th century, burned down in 1903):

Study "Wooden church in Plyos in the last rays of the sun", 1988, private collection, Moscow (http://isaak-levitan.ru/good/18.php)

At present, in the city of Plyos, on the so-called "Levitan Mountain", instead of a burnt church, there is a very similar wooden church of the Resurrection. It is also old, and was moved from the village of Bilyukov in the same Ivanovo region. The church, in addition to its official name, received among the people a second, also almost “official” - “Above Eternal Peace” - for reasons that are quite understandable and worthy of respect (http://stage1.10russia.ru/sights/1/2297, http://www.volga-ples.ru/attractions/9.php). True, once the church had its own bell tower.

Resurrection church in the village of Bilyukovo (pre-revolutionary photo)

Contemporary photographs of the church "Above Eternal Peace"

Fast forward to one of the most beautiful places in the world, located on the Mediterranean Sea. This is the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. There are two small islands in the bay - the island of St. George and the island of Gospa od Skrpela.

St. George Island. Benedictine abbey.

The island of Gospa od Shkrpela. Orthodox Church of the Mother of God on the Rock.

More information can be found, for example, here:

Let's compare these two islands:

Here, as nowhere else in the world, we clearly see that the altars (and bell towers) of Catholic and Orthodox churches are located in exactly the opposite way in their East-West orientation.

Why did we need this? Here's why:

The buildings, which are quite strictly oriented along the sides of the horizon, include churches, mosques, synagogues.

Altars and chapels of Christian and Lutheran churches face east, bell towers west.

The altars of Catholic churches are located on the western side.

The lowered edge of the lower crossbeam of the cross on the dome of the Orthodox Church faces the south, the raised edge - to the north.

Why? Here's one explanation:

“Why are temples always facing east with the altar? The Old Testament tabernacle turned its holy of holies to the west and the door leading to the sanctuary turned to the east as a sign that the Old Testament believers were still awaiting the coming, like the east from above, of the promised Messiah. We, Christians, confess our Savior Jesus Christ, who has already come into the world, and therefore we turn the temples with our altar and ourselves in our prayers to face the East as the land of light, where the Sun of Truth, our Savior, dwells. In the east, in the land of Judah, the Lord Jesus Christ, about whom we must remember during divine services, was born, and lived, and suffered for our salvation. In the same place, in the east, there was also the blessed dwelling of the first people. " (Priest I. Svyatoslavsky. "Notes for reading about the temple", M., 1889. Quote from MDS 31-9.2003, volume 1, p. 55)

And here is a short visual rule for installing crosses (including on graves):

Third: Thunderstorm

Levitan. Before the storm. 1890 Study. Canvas, oil. 26.2x35.8 cm. Smolensk Regional Museum of Fine and Applied Arts, Smolensk

Undoubtedly, Levitan was not just an outstanding, but a brilliant landscape painter. Therefore, as we see in this sketch, it would not have been difficult for him to create a feeling of anxiety at the approach of a formidable element.

However, if we go into the next hall, we will see the following picture there:

Dubovskoy N.N., Quiet. 1890

When we look at Levitan's sketch and at the nearby painting by Dubovsky, we have a very definite inner state of anxiety and understanding that a thunderstorm will soon be coming - real, strong and sweeping away everything in its path. Since we all fell under a thunderstorm, and more than once, it is impossible to be mistaken in this.

One last thing: Sketch

Levitan. Sketch for the painting "Above Eternal Peace"

As we can see, the original design of the painting was somewhat different.

Now we have everything we need to start our little investigation.

Hypothesis

First of all, we would immediately like to put forward a hypothesis, which we are going to further prove.

Hypothesis: It is unfair to call Levitan's painting "Above Eternal Peace" a "gloomy" period in the work of the genius Russian artist. In fact, the picture is more than optimistic.

This is confirmed, among other things, by the fact that, as we will show below, while working on the painting, he radically revised its concept and symbolism, changing them to the opposite.

However, this also applies to the painting "At the Pool", in which there is even more symbolism and hidden images.

Study of the picture and proof of the hypothesis

Small introduction. The author of this work was once the champion of the country in hiking trips, in which he played the role of a navigator who constantly worked with maps. In addition, he was also a professional military man, and therefore, purely automatically, out of habit, he immediately binds himself to the terrain to determine the point of his location.

This is what explains the fact that not being an art critic and not belonging to the world of artists, he nevertheless took the liberty of interpreting a well-known picture from a not entirely unusual point of view (sometimes from the outside you can see small details that have been missed by experts, paying (quite naturally) more attention to the artistic aspects of the paintings and the peculiarities of the work / biographies of their authors).

In addition, it helped that at the anniversary exhibition of Levitan in 2011 in the new building of the Tretyakov Gallery on Krymsky Val, both the painting itself and a sketch from the private collection "Wooden Church in Plyos in the Last Rays of the Sun" were nearby. A lucky coincidence.

One could determine, for example, along the course of the river and by the Coriolis forces in the northern hemisphere (by the difference in the steepness of the left and right banks). However, in this case, we see that the artist depicted both banks as gentle. Let's compare, for example, with the banks in another painting by Levitan:

Evening. Golden Plyos, 1889

But this is also unlikely to succeed because even if this is the Volga in the Plyos area, then, as we mentioned earlier, there it flows from west to east.

Note: However, there is a purely subjective feeling in the painting. water movement that does not happen on the lake. At the same time, the movement is directed at the viewer, which again is characteristic of the Volga flow just in the Plyos area.

Nevertheless, we see that the shores will not help us here. We must look for another clue.

And she is. Church.

The location of the church - or rather, the location of its altar and cross on the dome will help us.

Let's take a closer look.

First stroke of the brush: Temple

And here we are faced with the first riddle, even a secret.

The lower crossbar of the cross on the dome looks right end up, that is, to the North. Therefore, we stand from the East and look to the West.

But if you look closely, you can see how the artist rewrote the cross, which is visible even with the naked eye.

Having become interested in this, I had to take a closer look at the sketch. Let's do it too:

As we can see, in the study, Levitan did not pay much attention to the exact image of the cross. Moreover, he is not carefully spelled out, and one can even assume that he is looking in the other direction (if the sun is on the right, and not its reflections).

But if we look closely, we will see the entrance door to the temple, facing us. That is, on the reverse side there is an altar facing the East.

And the church in the main picture is turned in the other direction... Moreover, it was deployed later, and we will see this right now.

How? We see a path that can only lead to the entrance to the church:

Second stroke of the brush: Road

And since we already know what we should look for, it will not be difficult. If the artist changed the concept of the painting, then he had to change the direction of the path, which in the first version should have turned to the left earlier. Let's take a closer look:

Exactly. We got it right. It can be seen that the path (yellow) used to leave to the left much earlier, and traces of this remained in the picture - you can see the remains of yellow paint on the left:

But then the artist painted over the first path (but not completely, as if leaving us a hint) - sending it with a few light strokes of this very yellow paint further, to the opposite side of the temple ..

And finally

Third stroke of the brush: Light

And now Levitan, without specially drawing the altar window (as can be seen in the photographs above), “cuts through” it with red-yellow light coming from inside the altar:

That is, there is a living person in the altar, and this person (priest? Monk?) Is serving the evening service. And, most likely, one, because the path is clearly not very well-traveled.

What is left for the artist to "finish"? Enclose the altar with thickets (in the sketch, as we saw, the trees were located on both sides of the church).

And draw an abandoned cemetery:

Where, as we can see, three six-pointed crosses are located similarly to the cross on the dome, and the other three are in the opposite direction, like another hint from the artist. At the same time, one of these last crosses is spelled out as if "carelessly", and the two remaining ones (on the far right of the trees) are quite thoroughly and distinctly.

Brief conclusions

Levitan, as it were, gives us hints all the time about how exactly he changed the idea of ​​his painting. What he wanted to do, and what happened in the end.

It should be remembered that the artist deeply knew Orthodoxy, its ritual part and dogma. Therefore, he could not be mistaken in the location (orientation) of the church, even if it was in a place he had invented.

It turns out that with the initial plan, the temple looked in a completely different direction, and then it was morning before the storm ... Then the clouds really should have been thunderstorms (compare with the above-described sketch of Levitan himself and the neighboring painting by Dubovsky).

But in the process of work, Levitan decided to change everything exactly the opposite. That is, he depicted on the final version of the picture evening ... And now it is a usual situation for the second half of the day, when, against the background of the setting sun in the west, the clouds become darker, and the wind rises near the water, characteristic of the time of sunrise and sunset.

Note: the exact time can also be determined from the picture, but we don't really need it in this particular case.

We deliberately did not analyze other strong archetypal images here. For example, very briefly, one can only mention the triad "Earth-Man-Sky", which Levitan introduces into his picture by designating the presence of a person in it (light in the altar). As a true landscape painter, he cannot depict people, but with a brilliant simple stroke of red paint, he makes us literally physically see a Human being present just in the middle between the Earth and Heaven. The triad symbol is a symbol of unification, while dualism is always opposition. And thanks to this seemingly insignificant detail, the picture is transformed. Let's try to mentally block this light, and everything instantly "goes out". We return the light - and nature is spiritualized, because at this late hour a person is present in this world and prays for it.

That is why this picture unconsciously does not at all produce the gloomy impression that we are told about. It is quite light, optimistic, full of symbols, signs and hidden clues.

We will never know whether Levitan did it on purpose or not. Given his talent, he could unconsciously break through to such a high level of creativity. Why the impact of the picture on the viewer becomes even stronger.

Easily, as if playfully, the genius of the Russian landscape changed Space and, thereby, Time in his painting. With a few strokes of the brush.

P.S. Many thanks to the curators of the Tretyakov Gallery, who allowed them to photograph Levitan's paintings at the exhibition in exchange for a promise to write and publish the article. I keep my promise.

Looking at the pacifying landscapes of Isaac Levitan, it is difficult to believe that the artist often suffered from depression, because of him women were ready to commit suicide and he himself almost shot himself. August 30 marks the 156th anniversary of the birth of the brilliant landscape painter. Levitan did not live to see his 40th birthday for several weeks; he devoted half of his life to painting. On the artist's birthday, we recall one of his most famous paintings "Over Eternal Peace" and little-known facts of his biography.

1. For success in painting, Levitan did not pay for his studies

Isaac Levitan was born in the town of Kybartai (now part of Lithuania). The head of the family, in search of large earnings, moved the family to Moscow in 1870. Here the future artist at the age of 13 entered the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. Levitan was taught by famous masters - Vasily Perov, Alexey Savrasov and Vasily Polenov.

There was a misfortune in Levitan's family. In 1975, his mother died, and two years later, his father, who fell ill with typhus, was gone. It was a very difficult time for Isaac, his brother and two sisters. Levitan was allowed not to pay tuition fees for his achievements in art. The talented young man was supported by his teachers. Savrasov took Isaac into his landscape class. Already at the age of 16, Levitan received recognition. In 1877, an exhibition was held where the aspiring artist presented two of his paintings. For them, he received a small silver medal and 220 rubles to continue painting.

Later, Levitan recalled that the time of study at the school was very difficult for him. He was malnourished, walked in shabby clothes, was ashamed of his torn shoes. Sometimes he had to spend the night at the school. The artist often found himself in a difficult financial situation. Later he rented a room in Moscow on Tverskaya, for which he paid only with paintings. Moreover, the hostess very meticulously chose, in her opinion, the most beautiful works. She also grumbled why there were no chickens, goats and other animals on them.

2. Levitan received a spelling teacher diploma

Surprisingly, after graduation, Levitan was not given an artist's diploma, although he was considered one of the most talented students. And they did not give him a diploma because of revenge on his teacher Alexei Savrasov. When he drank, the master often spoke unflatteringly about the creative abilities of his colleagues. And these colleagues at the prom decided to recoup on Levitan. Savrasov's beloved student was given the Great Silver Medal, but he was not awarded anything, but a diploma of a calligraphy teacher.

3. Vasily Polenov wrote from Levitan Christ

Isaac Levitan had a bright appearance - refined facial features, deep gaze of dark, sad eyes. This thoughtfulness of the artist inspired Vasily Polenov, who portrayed Levitan in the image of Jesus Christ in the painting "Dreams" in 1894.

Levitan inspired Vasily Polenov to paint the painting "Dreams" ("On the Mountain)

4. The artist had an affair with a married woman for eight years

Isaac Levitan, thanks to his talent and natural beauty, has always been in the center of women's attention. Although the artist often had affairs, he never married anyone. Levitan said that even the best women are owners by nature. “I can't do that. All of me can only belong to my quiet homeless muse, everything else is vanity, ”the landscape painter considered.

Isaac Levitan "Self-portrait", 1880

And yet the artist had long novels. One of them lasted eight years with Sophia Kuvshinnikova, whose salon the artist once got into. This married lady was older than him. Kuvshinnikova turned out to be a very extraordinary person. Sophia was fond of hunting, painting, wore elements of a man's suit, her house was decorated in the Russian style, and instead of curtains, fishing nets hung on the windows, and a hand-held crane lived in her bedroom. In general, this lady was clearly different from most women of that time, which interested the artist. Kuvshinnikova, who admired Levitan's works, began to take private lessons from him. In the summer they went on sketches to the Volga.

5. Levitan had a fight with Chekhov over a woman

Isaac Levitan and Anton Chekhov were friends all their lives, they had warm relations long before both became famous. They met through the brother of the writer of the artist Nikolai Chekhov. Anton Pavlovich even came up with a special term for the works of his artist friend. He called them "Levitanists." Moreover, according to Chekhov, the artist's paintings had a varying degree of "levitanism".

Levitan more than once became the prototype of some of the characters in Chekhov's works. The writer did not approve of his friend's romance with Kuvshinnikova, he considered her rude. Then Anton Pavlovich wrote the story "Jumping", in the heroes of which you can recognize Isaac and Sophia. At first, Levitan chuckled, they say, who, but not Chekhov, should teach him morality. But gossip around Kuvshinnikova and her romance with the artist began to grow, and she persuaded Levitan to write an insulting letter to Chekhov. The writer also answered in a harsh tone. After that, the friends did not communicate for three years.

6. Levitan found solace in nature

The artist suffered from frequent depression. Although he understood the power of his talent, from time to time doubts about his vocation rolled over him, he was often not pleased with himself. During periods of such gloomy moods, Levitan could not see people, he took his dog Vesta with him and went hunting. In fact, he did not hunt, but wandered, enjoying nature, in which he found consolation.

7. Levitan dreamed of transferring the painting "Above Eternal Peace" to Tretyakov's collection

Isaac Levitan wrote one of his most philosophical paintings, Above Eternal Peace, in 1894, six years before his death. He worked on this work in the Tver province. The artist transferred the church depicted in the picture from a previously created sketch on Ples, where he traveled with Kuvshinnikova.

The space in the picture is presented in the form of generalized planes of water and sky. In this work, Levitan managed to reflect the opposition of the eternity of the life of nature and the frailty of human existence. The gloomy grandeur of nature is opposed only by a warm light in the window of a small church.

Isaac Levitan "Above Eternal Peace", 1894

Levitan considered the painting "Above Eternal Peace" to be one of his main works. He said that he was happy to transfer this picture to the collector Pavel Tretyakov. The artist said about his work: "Eternity, a formidable eternity, in which generations have drowned and will drown yet ... What horror, what fear!" Levitan wrote to Tretyakov about the painting "Above Eternal Peace": "... in it I am all, with all my psyche, with all my content, and it would hurt me to tears if it had passed your colossal meeting ...". Now the painting "Above Eternal Peace" (150x206 cm, oil on canvas) is kept in the Tretyakov Gallery.

8. Levitan shot himself out of love

The artist spent a lot of time with Sophia, they often went to paint together. So they drove to Lake Ostrovnoye in the Vyshnevolotsk district. Nearby was the estate of the St. Petersburg senator Ivan Turchaninov, where his wife Anna Nikolaevna and her daughter Varya lived. Anna Nikolaevna was the same age as Kuvshinnikova. Both ladies started a struggle for the artist's attention, and he amused himself by flirting with each one in turn.

Sophia understood that Levitan no longer had the old feelings for her and tried to poison herself. She scraped the sulfur off the matches, added it to the water, and drank it. They managed to save her - a doctor was visiting the house where she was staying. Levitan needed a new muse and he broke up with Sophia. Unfortunately, the daughter of Anna Nikolaevna, 20-year-old Varya, fell in love with the artist. She threw tantrums at Levitan, demanded to leave her mother and threatened to commit suicide. The artist could no longer stand it and shot himself in the head. The bullet passed through the skin without hitting the skull.

Chekhov found out about this and came to save his friend. The artist did not need any serious help. The writer met Levitan with a black headband, he took it off and went hunting. He returned with a killed seagull, which he threw at the feet of Anna Nikolaevna. Attentive readers of Chekhov's works will notice that he used this incident in The Seagull.

Isaac Levitan suffered from heart disease. Anna Nikolaevna was with the artist until the end of his days. Levitan died suddenly in July 1900 at the age of 40.