In a Warm Land: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 17: Line 17:


== The image in the painting ==
== The image in the painting ==
The painting depicts part of the veranda, house and yard of the artist's White Villa in Kislovodsk. The background is Sosnovka Mountain.<ref name=":0">''Секлюцкий В. В.'' К заветной цели / Ярошенко в Кисловодске // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. — [[Stavropol|Ставрополь]]: Ставропольское книжное издательство, 1963. — P. 9—41, 52—56. — 29 illustr., 120 p. — P. 53. — 25 000 copies.</ref> The publicist and art critic Mikhail Nevedomsky described the image of the heroine in the painting as follows: "an intelligent sick lady, spending her last spring among the greenery and flowers of the fertile south: all wrapped up, she sits in an armchair on the terrace of a Crimean villa".<ref group="Note">Kislovodsk is not part of Crimea: Michael Nevedomsky's mistake.</ref><ref>''Неведомский М. П.'' Художник-интеллигент Н. А. Ярошенко // Нива: Журнал. — 1917. — 22 July (№ 29). — P. 437—442. — P. 439.</ref> In another of his articles, he even wrote about the painting: "a young sick woman who came to die under the southern sun by the sea, among roses and plane trees".<ref>''Неведомский М. П.'' Художник-интеллигент // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 202. — 296 p. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5</nowiki>.</ref> This idea was developed by Alla Vereshchagina, a doctor of art history. She saw in the painting a pale, sad and sickly woman, "lonely longing... among the blooming beauty of southern nature".<ref>''Верещагина А. Г..'' Николай Александрович Ярошенко. — <abbr>Л.</abbr>: Художник РСФСР, 1967. — 54 p. — P. 48. — (Народная библиотечка по искусству). — 20 000 copies.</ref> Vladimir Seklutsky, the founder and first director of the N. A. Yaroshenko Memorial Estate Museum, suggested that the woman is immersed in memories: she is half lying between the cushions with a plaid thrown over her knees, her eyes are pensive, they express the desire for life (Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation Boris Rosenfeld wrote about them: "two black coals of expressive eyes"),<ref>''Розенфельд Б. М.'' XIX. У истоков большой дружбы // Белая вилла: Мемориальный музей-усадьба Н.А. Ярошенко в Кисловодске. — Пятигорск: Снег, 2014. — P. 228, — 365 p. — 1000 copies. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-903129-60-7</nowiki>.</ref> and the lips as if saying the word "to live". According to Seklyutsky, the sunny landscape, full of greenery and flowers, fresh mountain air, creates an atmosphere of optimism and gives the viewer hope for the recovery of the heroine of the canvas; he regretted that art historians underestimate this painting, noting in it not only pictorial merits, but also sincere empathy of the artist with his character, a burning desire to help her.<ref name=":0" />
The painting depicts part of the veranda, house and yard of the artist's White Villa in Kislovodsk. The background is Sosnovka Mountain.<ref name=":0">''Секлюцкий В. В.'' К заветной цели / Ярошенко в Кисловодске // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. — [[Stavropol|Ставрополь]]: Ставропольское книжное издательство, 1963. — P. 9—41, 52—56. — 29 illustr., 120 p. — P. 53. — 25 000 copies.</ref> The publicist and art critic Mikhail Nevedomsky described the image of the heroine in the painting as follows: "an intelligent sick lady, spending her last spring among the greenery and flowers of the fertile south: all wrapped up, she sits in an armchair on the terrace of a Crimean villa".<ref group="Note">Kislovodsk is not part of Crimea: Michael Nevedomsky's mistake.</ref><ref>''Неведомский М. П.'' Художник-интеллигент Н. А. Ярошенко // Нива: Журнал. — 1917. — 22 July (№ 29). — P. 437—442. — P. 439.</ref> In another of his articles, he even wrote about the painting: "a young sick woman who came to die under the southern sun by the sea, among roses and plane trees".<ref>''Неведомский М. П.'' Художник-интеллигент // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 202. — 296 p. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5</nowiki>.</ref> This idea was developed by Alla Vereshchagina, a doctor of art history. She saw in the painting a pale, sad and sickly woman, "lonely longing... among the blooming beauty of southern nature".<ref>''Верещагина А. Г..'' Николай Александрович Ярошенко. — <abbr>Л.</abbr>: Художник РСФСР, 1967. — 54 p. — P. 48. — (Народная библиотечка по искусству). — 20 000 copies.</ref> Vladimir Seklutsky, the founder and first director of the N. A. Yaroshenko Memorial Estate Museum, suggested that the woman is immersed in memories: she is half lying between the cushions with a plaid thrown over her knees, her eyes are pensive, they express the desire for life (Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation Boris Rosenfeld wrote about them: "two black coals of expressive eyes"),<ref name=":1">''Розенфельд Б. М.'' XIX. У истоков большой дружбы // Белая вилла: Мемориальный музей-усадьба Н.А. Ярошенко в Кисловодске. — Пятигорск: Снег, 2014. — P. 228, — 365 p. — 1000 copies. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-903129-60-7</nowiki>.</ref> and the lips as if saying the word "to live". According to Seklyutsky, the sunny landscape, full of greenery and flowers, fresh mountain air, creates an atmosphere of optimism and gives the viewer hope for the recovery of the heroine of the canvas; he regretted that art historians underestimate this painting, noting in it not only pictorial merits, but also sincere empathy of the artist with his character, a burning desire to help her.<ref name=":0" />


== History of painting's creation ==
== History of painting's creation ==
Nikolai Yaroshenko's rapid rise in the civil service came to a halt in the mid-1880s. For many years he was a "colonel with seniority", was listed in the Guards Foot Artillery, was the head of the workshop at the St. Petersburg Cartridge Factory, performed "special tasks" there.<ref>''Ярошенко Н. А.'' Послужной список Н. А. Ярошенко // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 61. — 296 p. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5</nowiki>.</ref> He experienced health problems (it was in 1890 he had a sharp exacerbation of tuberculosis of the throat),<ref>''Секлюцкий В. В.'' К заветной цели / Ярошенко в Кисловодске // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. — [[Stavropol|Ставрополь]]: Ставропольское книжное издательство, 1963. — P. 52. — 29 illustrations, 120 p. — 25 000 copies.</ref><ref>''Поленова И. В.'' Классический передвижник. Летопись жизни и творчества // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 308, 286. — 296 p. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5</nowiki>.</ref> often took many months of vacation (sometimes without saving "for the time of it" salary from the Treasury).<ref>''Ярошенко Н. А.'' Послужной список Н. А. Ярошенко // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 62. — 296 p. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5</nowiki>.</ref><ref group="Note">The artist's wife claimed in the materials "To the biography of N. A. Yaroshenko" that the chief offered the artist to submit a petition for resignation on the grounds of illness, which provided a full [[pension]], but Yaroshenko rejected this proposal, stating that he was leaving because of the desire to freely engage in painting.</ref><ref>''Ярошенко М. П.'' К биографии Н. А. Ярошенко // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 67. — 296 p. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5</nowiki>.</ref> The artist actively participated in the activities of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions, was regularly re-elected to its board, was involved in it small everyday affairs: preparing boxes for paintings, maintenance of the cash register.<ref>''Поленова И. В.'' Классический передвижник. Летопись жизни и творчества // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 38, 285. — 296 p. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5</nowiki>.</ref> Frida Roginskaya, a staff member of the Research Institute for the Theory and History of Fine Arts, claimed that he "actually bore the entire burden of leading the Society".<ref>''Рогинская Ф. С.'' Передвижники. — Саратов: СП «Эллис Лак», 1993. — 183 p. — P. 18. — 30 000 экз. — ISBN 210-02099-1.</ref> In the second half of the 1880s, fine art in Russia gradually lost its civic pathos and sought to convey an emotional impression of reality. This brought to the fore the problem of professional skill and stricter criteria for its evaluation.<ref>''Поленова И. В.'' Классический передвижник. Летопись жизни и творчества // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 25-26, 38. — 296 p. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5</nowiki>.</ref> In connection with this, within the partnership itself there were sharp disagreements between representatives of the older and younger generations, as well as between the very founders of this artistic movement. Yaroshenko tried to preserve not only the unity of the Society, but also its "viability".<ref>''Поленова И. В.'' Классический передвижник. Летопись жизни и творчества // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 38. — 296 с. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5</nowiki>.</ref>
Nikolai Yaroshenko's rapid rise in the civil service came to a halt in the mid-1880s. For many years he was a "colonel with seniority", was listed in the Guards Foot Artillery, was the head of the workshop at the St. Petersburg Cartridge Factory, performed "special tasks" there.<ref>''Ярошенко Н. А.'' Послужной список Н. А. Ярошенко // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 61. — 296 p. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5</nowiki>.</ref> He experienced health problems (it was in 1890 he had a sharp exacerbation of tuberculosis of the throat),<ref name=":2">''Секлюцкий В. В.'' К заветной цели / Ярошенко в Кисловодске // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. — [[Stavropol|Ставрополь]]: Ставропольское книжное издательство, 1963. — P. 52. — 29 illustrations, 120 p. — 25 000 copies.</ref><ref>''Поленова И. В.'' Классический передвижник. Летопись жизни и творчества // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 308, 286. — 296 p. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5</nowiki>.</ref> often took many months of vacation (sometimes without saving "for the time of it" salary from the Treasury).<ref>''Ярошенко Н. А.'' Послужной список Н. А. Ярошенко // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 62. — 296 p. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5</nowiki>.</ref><ref group="Note">The artist's wife claimed in the materials "To the biography of N. A. Yaroshenko" that the chief offered the artist to submit a petition for resignation on the grounds of illness, which provided a full [[pension]], but Yaroshenko rejected this proposal, stating that he was leaving because of the desire to freely engage in painting.</ref><ref>''Ярошенко М. П.'' К биографии Н. А. Ярошенко // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 67. — 296 p. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5</nowiki>.</ref> The artist actively participated in the activities of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions, was regularly re-elected to its board, was involved in it small everyday affairs: preparing boxes for paintings, maintenance of the cash register.<ref>''Поленова И. В.'' Классический передвижник. Летопись жизни и творчества // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 38, 285. — 296 p. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5</nowiki>.</ref> Frida Roginskaya, a staff member of the Research Institute for the Theory and History of Fine Arts, claimed that he "actually bore the entire burden of leading the Society".<ref>''Рогинская Ф. С.'' Передвижники. — Саратов: СП «Эллис Лак», 1993. — 183 p. — P. 18. — 30 000 экз. — ISBN 210-02099-1.</ref> In the second half of the 1880s, fine art in Russia gradually lost its civic pathos and sought to convey an emotional impression of reality. This brought to the fore the problem of professional skill and stricter criteria for its evaluation.<ref>''Поленова И. В.'' Классический передвижник. Летопись жизни и творчества // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 25-26, 38. — 296 p. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5</nowiki>.</ref> In connection with this, within the partnership itself there were sharp disagreements between representatives of the older and younger generations, as well as between the very founders of this artistic movement. Yaroshenko tried to preserve not only the unity of the Society, but also its "viability".<ref>''Поленова И. В.'' Классический передвижник. Летопись жизни и творчества // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 38. — 296 с. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5</nowiki>.</ref>


=== Anna and Vladimir Chertkov in Yaroshenko's White Villa ===
=== Anna and Vladimir Chertkov in Yaroshenko's White Villa ===
[[File:Усадьба художника Ярошенко Н.А.JPG|left|thumb|Yaroshenko's White Villa in Kislovodsk, modern photography]]
[[File:«Белая вилла» 05.JPG|thumb]]
Nikolai Yaroshenko painted "In a Warm Land" in Kislovodsk at the White Villa.<ref>''Вольф Г. В.'' . — <abbr>М.</abbr>: Белый город, 2008. — 48 p. — P. 39. — (Мастера живописи). — 3000 экз. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-7793-1339-1</nowiki>.</ref><ref group="Note">At present there is a memorial museum — mansion of N. A. Yaroshenko. A. Yaroshenko.</ref><ref>''Розенфельд Б. М.'' XIX. У истоков большой дружбы // Белая вилла: Мемориальный музей-усадьба Н.А. Ярошенко в Кисловодске. — Пятигорск: Снег, 2014. — P. 1-365. — 365 p. — 1000 copies. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-903129-60-7</nowiki>.</ref> He visited Kislovodsk for the first time in 1875.<ref name=":2" /> In 1885, Yaroshenko's wife Maria Pavlovna bought a dacha there,<ref>''Поленова И. В.'' Классический передвижник. Летопись жизни и творчества // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 285. — 296 p. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5</nowiki>.</ref> but he didn't move there from St. Petersburg until 1892, after resigning from the civil service due to a sharp deterioration in his health.<ref name=":2" /> The house in which the artist lived and then settled in Kislovodsk was built on an elevated site, with a view of the Cathedral Square on one side and an orchard on the other. The terrace was painted by the artist himself in the "Pompeian style", where the family usually ate lunch, drank tea and spent much of their free time in the summer. From the terrace there was a beautiful view of the Sosnovka mountain. It was here that the picture "In a Warm Land" was painted.<ref>''Секлюцкий В. В.'' К заветной цели / Ярошенко в Кисловодске // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. — [[Stavropol|Ставрополь]]: Ставропольское книжное издательство, 1963. — P. 52-53. — 29 illustrations, 120 p. — 25 000 copies.</ref> In the house there were held evenings for the friends of the Yaroshenko family, on the terrace artists, singers and musicians demonstrated their art to the guests, the wedding of the daughter of the artist Mikhail Nesterov, Olga, took place there. One of the small rooms of the house, which had a wide window, the artist equipped as a workshop.<ref>''Секлюцкий В. В.'' К заветной цели / Ярошенко в Кисловодске // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. — [[Stavropol|Ставрополь]]: Ставропольское книжное издательство, 1963. — P. 53-54. — 29 illustrations, 120 p. — 25 000 copies.</ref>

In the summer of 1890, Vladimir Cherkova, the publisher and opposition figure, supporter and friend of Leo Tolstoy, and his wife Anna,<ref name=":3">''Поленова И. В.'' Классический передвижник. Летопись жизни и творчества // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: БуксМАрт, 2018. — 296 p. — P. 286. — 296 с. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5</nowiki>.</ref> who in 1883 had become the prototype of the painting "Student",<ref>''Прытков В. А.'' Творчество Ярошенко 90-х годов // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: Искусство, 1960. — P. 96. — 54 iilustrations, 320 p. — (Живопись. Скульптура. Графика). — 2500 copies.</ref> arrived in the city. The artist exploited their stay. The Chertkovs' young son Vladimir (in the family he was called Dima) served as a model for the painting "A Sleeping Child" (1890, was in the Poltava Art Museum, died during the Great Patriotic War),<ref>''Ярошенко Н. А.'' Из писем // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 134. — 296 p. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5</nowiki>.</ref><ref group="Note">Some details about the painting were given by N. V. Zaitseva in her article. She claimed that the painting was called "Sleeping Child in a Pram", that a preparatory pencil drawing for the painting had been preserved, on which an unidentified person had written "Does not remember". On the basis of handwriting comparison, Zaitseva concluded that the inscription was written by E. F. Shershenyova. F. Shershenyova (in her maiden name - Strakhova), who as a girl entered the Chertkov family, but whom she asked about this sketch and in whose memory it was not known, Zaitseva could not establish.</ref><ref>Зайцева Н. В. Образы В. Г. и А. К. Чертковых в творчестве М. В. Нестерова // Яснополянский сборник. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: Издательский дом «Ясная Поляна», 2000. — P. 363. — 1000 copies.</ref> and Anna posed for the canvas "In a Warm Land". A year earlier, the Chertkovs had lost a daughter, Olga (1887 - July 17, 1889).<ref>''Волкова Т. Н. [Составитель].'' Л. Н. Толстой и его близкие. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: Современник, 1986. — 373 p. — P. 372, 336. — 50 000 copies.</ref> Lyusya, as she was called in the family, was a "lively and affectionate girl", a favorite of the entire Chertkov family and their many households.<ref>''Муратов М. В.'' Л. Н. Толстой и В. Г. Чертков по их дневникам и переписке. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: Полиграфкнига, 1934. — 502 p. — P. 183. — 5300 copies.</ref> She died of dysentery after only two days. The girl's death was a severe blow to her mother. For many years after that, Anna Chertkova experienced a decline in vitality and was often ill. For her recovery, the family went to the south.<ref>''Муратов М. В.'' Л. Н. Толстой и В. Г. Чертков по их дневникам и переписке. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: Полиграфкнига, 1934. — 502 p. — P. 184. — 5300 copies.</ref> The artist Mikhail Nesterov, who himself lived in Kislovodsk at that time, wrote that Yaroshenko allocated a whole wing to the Chertkovs' residence, which was even larger than the White Villa itself. In this wing, according to him, once lived Emilia Shan-Girey (the prototype of Mikhail Lermontov's Princess Maria). Nesterov mentions that Anna Chertkova posed for Yaroshenko, but he calls the painting itself "The Sick", not "In a Warm Land".<ref>''Нестеров М.'' Н. А. Ярошенко // Давние дни. Встречи и воспоминания. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: Искусство, 1959. — 399 p. — P. 73-74. — 15 000 copies.</ref><ref group="Note">Boris Rosefeldt, in his book on the White Villa, also writes that the painting was originally titled “sick” and only later became known as “In a Warm Land”.</ref><ref name=":1" />

In the collection of the Memorial Museum-estate of N. A. Yaroshenko there is a photograph depicting Vladimir and Anna Chertkova, who were in the White Villa in 1890[6]. There are also preserved drawings of Anna Chertkova made by the artist in that year: "A. K. Chertkova on the balcony" (paper, Italian graphic pencil, 17,5 × 13,3 cm, in the drawing by the hand of his son Vladimir signed "Sketch Yaroshenko with my mother")<ref>''Розенфельд Б. М.'' XIX. У истоков большой дружбы // Белая вилла: Мемориальный музей-усадьба Н.А. Ярошенко в Кисловодске. — Пятигорск: Снег, 2014. — P. 230. — 365 p. — 1000 copies. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-903129-60-7</nowiki>.</ref> and "Chertkov family friendly caricature" (paper, cardboard, graphic pencil, 20 × 23 cm).<ref>''Розенфельд Б. М.'' XIX. У истоков большой дружбы // Белая вилла: Мемориальный музей-усадьба Н. А. Ярошенко в Кисловодске. — Пятигорск: Снег, 2014. — P. 233. — 365 p. — 1000 copies. — <nowiki>ISBN 978-5-903129-60-7</nowiki>.</ref><gallery mode="packed-overlay" caption="The Chertkov couple in the White Villa in 1890">
File:Семья Чертковых на даче у Ярошенко.png|The Chertkov couple (right) at Yaroshenko's White Villa in 1890
File:Ярошенко. Черткова, 1890.png|Nikolai Yaroshenko. A. K. Chertkova on the balcony, 1890
File:Ярошенко. Дружеский шарж на Чертковых.png|Chertkov family friendly caricature, 1890
</gallery>

=== Contemporaries about the painting ===
[[File:Ярошенко. Проводил.jpg|thumb|Nikolai Yaroshenko. "Seeing off", 1890]]
The catalog of the XIX traveling exhibition mentions four paintings presented by Nikolai Yaroshenko at once: "Portrait of N. N. Ge" (no. 78, canvas, oil, 92,5 × 73,5 cm, the canvas is currently in the Russian Museum), "In a Warm Land" (no. 79 in the catalog), "A Sleeping Child" (No. 80), "Seeing Off" (No. 81, canvas, oil, 125 × 150 cm, in the collection of the Omsk Regional Fine Arts Museum named after M. A. Vrubel).<ref>Товарищество передвижных художественных выставок. Письма, документы. 1869—1899 / В. В. Андреева, М. В. Астафьева, С. Н. Гольдштейн, Н. Л. Приймак. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: Искусство, 1987. — 668 p. — P. 392.</ref> Usually in modern art history three paintings are associated with this exhibition — "Portrait of N. N. Ge", "In a Warm Land" and "Farewell".<ref>''Порудоминский В. И.'' В те годы дальние // Ярошенко. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: Искусство, 1979. — 199 p. — P. 118, 141—142. — (Жизнь в искусстве). — 50 000 copies.</ref> Only Irina Polenova, a senior researcher at the N. A. Yaroshenko Memorial Estate Museum, mentioned "A Sleeping Child" in connection with the exhibition in her 2018 book.<ref name=":3" />

Considering that the painting "In a Warm Land" is a portrait of a sick woman, leaning on pillows, wrapped in a blanket, sadly living out her life in a chair on the terrace of a Ksilovodsk dacha, one of the contemporary reviewers joked that the hero of the second painting (it depicts a lonely old man standing on an empty platform. Under the ceiling of the station hang thick clouds of steam, dispersing after the departure of the train farewells, porter sweeps away the litter from the stone slabs, hands behind his back next to indifferent stands a policeman) in the warm lands of that suffering from consumption woman sitting in a chair on the balcony of Kovslevodskom.<ref>''Порудоминский В. И.'' В те годы дальние // Ярошенко. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: Искусство, 1979. — 199 p. — P. 141-142. — (Жизнь в искусстве). — 50 000 copies.</ref>

Contemporaries who knew Anna Chertkova did not recognize her image in the painting "Cursist", and the painting "In a Warm Land" was perceived as a traditional portrait (although, according to the cultural historian and author of a biography of the artist published in Soviet times, Vladimir Porudominsky, it has a more complex plot).<ref name=":4">''Порудоминский В. И.'' В те годы дальние // Ярошенко. — <abbr>М.</abbr>: Искусство, 1979. — 199 p. — P. 54—103 — (Жизнь в искусстве). — 50 000 copies.</ref> Ilya Repin wrote to Chertkov: "Here at the exhibition, the picture of Anna Konstantinovna (by Yaroshenko) convalescing very much to my liking. Expressive and subtle. A beautiful thing".<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /> Leo Tolstoy, after seeing the canvas "In a Warm Land" at Yaroshenko's posthumous exhibition, called it "Galya in Kislovodsk" (Galya called Chertkova close to her people). Visitors of the traveling exhibition pitied the beautiful lady who, in their opinion, was destined to leave the earthly world. Porudominsky noted that the suffering in this painting, which, in his opinion, lacks "inner content", "iron" and "phosphorus", does not arouse empathy, but pity. According to him, this is why reproductions of the painting "In Warm Lands" were printed before the revolution in magazines intended for ordinary people.<ref name=":4" />

Boris Rosenfeld in his book about the artist's memorial museum-estate wrote that contemporary critics "recognized and highly appreciated" the painting "In a Warm Lands" and considered it "one of the best paintings made in Kislovodsk".<ref name=":1" />

== The painting "In a Warm Lands" in the collection of the Russian Museum ==
[[File:В тёплых краях в Русском музее.jpg|left|thumb|The painting "In a Warm Land" in the permanent exposition of the Russian Museum, 2020]]
[[File:Подпись Николая Ярошенко.png|thumb|Подпись Николая Ярошенко.png]]

















== Notes ==
<references group="Note" />

== References ==

Revision as of 04:55, 27 April 2024

In a Warm Land
ArtistNikolai Yaroshenko
Year1890
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions107 cm × 81 cm (42 in × 32 in)
LocationRussian Museum, Saint Petersburg

"In Warm Lands" (107x81cm)[1] is a painting by Russian artist, part of the Peredvizhniki's movement, Nikolai Yaroshenko, created in 1890 in Kislovodsk. The canvas is in the collection and permanent exhibition of the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. The canvas was donated to the museum by the artist's wife shortly after his death in 1898.

The painting depicts Anna Konstantinovna Chertkova, a children's writer and publicist, wife of the publisher and public figure Vladimir Grigoryevich Chertkov, a close friend of Leo Tolstoy. At the time of the painting's creation, Yaroshenko was suffering from a severe form of tuberculosis of the throat. He later wrote in a letter to Anna Chertkova: "A month and a half was almost immobile and not fit for anything body, could only lie or sit in an armchair, in the cushions ... like you in the picture that I wrote of you". A year before the painting was created, Anna Chertkova experienced a severe shock - as a result of the illness, which lasted only two days, her beloved two-year-old daughter died. For many years after that she experienced a decline in vitality and was often ill. Photographs of the Chertkov couple's staying with the artist, as well as sketches of Nikolai Yaroshenko, painter Mikhail Nesterov and Vladimir Chertkov on the process of the painting's creation have been preserved.

Contemporaries immediately "recognized and appreciated" the painting "In a Warm Lands". It has repeatedly attracted the attention of researchers of Nikolai Yaroshenko's work, cultural researchers, historians and local historians both in the Soviet period and in post-Soviet Russia.

The image in the painting

The painting depicts part of the veranda, house and yard of the artist's White Villa in Kislovodsk. The background is Sosnovka Mountain.[2] The publicist and art critic Mikhail Nevedomsky described the image of the heroine in the painting as follows: "an intelligent sick lady, spending her last spring among the greenery and flowers of the fertile south: all wrapped up, she sits in an armchair on the terrace of a Crimean villa".[Note 1][3] In another of his articles, he even wrote about the painting: "a young sick woman who came to die under the southern sun by the sea, among roses and plane trees".[4] This idea was developed by Alla Vereshchagina, a doctor of art history. She saw in the painting a pale, sad and sickly woman, "lonely longing... among the blooming beauty of southern nature".[5] Vladimir Seklutsky, the founder and first director of the N. A. Yaroshenko Memorial Estate Museum, suggested that the woman is immersed in memories: she is half lying between the cushions with a plaid thrown over her knees, her eyes are pensive, they express the desire for life (Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation Boris Rosenfeld wrote about them: "two black coals of expressive eyes"),[6] and the lips as if saying the word "to live". According to Seklyutsky, the sunny landscape, full of greenery and flowers, fresh mountain air, creates an atmosphere of optimism and gives the viewer hope for the recovery of the heroine of the canvas; he regretted that art historians underestimate this painting, noting in it not only pictorial merits, but also sincere empathy of the artist with his character, a burning desire to help her.[2]

History of painting's creation

Nikolai Yaroshenko's rapid rise in the civil service came to a halt in the mid-1880s. For many years he was a "colonel with seniority", was listed in the Guards Foot Artillery, was the head of the workshop at the St. Petersburg Cartridge Factory, performed "special tasks" there.[7] He experienced health problems (it was in 1890 he had a sharp exacerbation of tuberculosis of the throat),[8][9] often took many months of vacation (sometimes without saving "for the time of it" salary from the Treasury).[10][Note 2][11] The artist actively participated in the activities of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions, was regularly re-elected to its board, was involved in it small everyday affairs: preparing boxes for paintings, maintenance of the cash register.[12] Frida Roginskaya, a staff member of the Research Institute for the Theory and History of Fine Arts, claimed that he "actually bore the entire burden of leading the Society".[13] In the second half of the 1880s, fine art in Russia gradually lost its civic pathos and sought to convey an emotional impression of reality. This brought to the fore the problem of professional skill and stricter criteria for its evaluation.[14] In connection with this, within the partnership itself there were sharp disagreements between representatives of the older and younger generations, as well as between the very founders of this artistic movement. Yaroshenko tried to preserve not only the unity of the Society, but also its "viability".[15]

Anna and Vladimir Chertkov in Yaroshenko's White Villa

Yaroshenko's White Villa in Kislovodsk, modern photography

Nikolai Yaroshenko painted "In a Warm Land" in Kislovodsk at the White Villa.[16][Note 3][17] He visited Kislovodsk for the first time in 1875.[8] In 1885, Yaroshenko's wife Maria Pavlovna bought a dacha there,[18] but he didn't move there from St. Petersburg until 1892, after resigning from the civil service due to a sharp deterioration in his health.[8] The house in which the artist lived and then settled in Kislovodsk was built on an elevated site, with a view of the Cathedral Square on one side and an orchard on the other. The terrace was painted by the artist himself in the "Pompeian style", where the family usually ate lunch, drank tea and spent much of their free time in the summer. From the terrace there was a beautiful view of the Sosnovka mountain. It was here that the picture "In a Warm Land" was painted.[19] In the house there were held evenings for the friends of the Yaroshenko family, on the terrace artists, singers and musicians demonstrated their art to the guests, the wedding of the daughter of the artist Mikhail Nesterov, Olga, took place there. One of the small rooms of the house, which had a wide window, the artist equipped as a workshop.[20]

In the summer of 1890, Vladimir Cherkova, the publisher and opposition figure, supporter and friend of Leo Tolstoy, and his wife Anna,[21] who in 1883 had become the prototype of the painting "Student",[22] arrived in the city. The artist exploited their stay. The Chertkovs' young son Vladimir (in the family he was called Dima) served as a model for the painting "A Sleeping Child" (1890, was in the Poltava Art Museum, died during the Great Patriotic War),[23][Note 4][24] and Anna posed for the canvas "In a Warm Land". A year earlier, the Chertkovs had lost a daughter, Olga (1887 - July 17, 1889).[25] Lyusya, as she was called in the family, was a "lively and affectionate girl", a favorite of the entire Chertkov family and their many households.[26] She died of dysentery after only two days. The girl's death was a severe blow to her mother. For many years after that, Anna Chertkova experienced a decline in vitality and was often ill. For her recovery, the family went to the south.[27] The artist Mikhail Nesterov, who himself lived in Kislovodsk at that time, wrote that Yaroshenko allocated a whole wing to the Chertkovs' residence, which was even larger than the White Villa itself. In this wing, according to him, once lived Emilia Shan-Girey (the prototype of Mikhail Lermontov's Princess Maria). Nesterov mentions that Anna Chertkova posed for Yaroshenko, but he calls the painting itself "The Sick", not "In a Warm Land".[28][Note 5][6]

In the collection of the Memorial Museum-estate of N. A. Yaroshenko there is a photograph depicting Vladimir and Anna Chertkova, who were in the White Villa in 1890[6]. There are also preserved drawings of Anna Chertkova made by the artist in that year: "A. K. Chertkova on the balcony" (paper, Italian graphic pencil, 17,5 × 13,3 cm, in the drawing by the hand of his son Vladimir signed "Sketch Yaroshenko with my mother")[29] and "Chertkov family friendly caricature" (paper, cardboard, graphic pencil, 20 × 23 cm).[30]

  • The Chertkov couple in the White Villa in 1890
  • The Chertkov couple (right) at Yaroshenko's White Villa in 1890
    The Chertkov couple (right) at Yaroshenko's White Villa in 1890
  • Nikolai Yaroshenko. A. K. Chertkova on the balcony, 1890
    Nikolai Yaroshenko. A. K. Chertkova on the balcony, 1890
  • Chertkov family friendly caricature, 1890
    Chertkov family friendly caricature, 1890

Contemporaries about the painting

Nikolai Yaroshenko. "Seeing off", 1890

The catalog of the XIX traveling exhibition mentions four paintings presented by Nikolai Yaroshenko at once: "Portrait of N. N. Ge" (no. 78, canvas, oil, 92,5 × 73,5 cm, the canvas is currently in the Russian Museum), "In a Warm Land" (no. 79 in the catalog), "A Sleeping Child" (No. 80), "Seeing Off" (No. 81, canvas, oil, 125 × 150 cm, in the collection of the Omsk Regional Fine Arts Museum named after M. A. Vrubel).[31] Usually in modern art history three paintings are associated with this exhibition — "Portrait of N. N. Ge", "In a Warm Land" and "Farewell".[32] Only Irina Polenova, a senior researcher at the N. A. Yaroshenko Memorial Estate Museum, mentioned "A Sleeping Child" in connection with the exhibition in her 2018 book.[21]

Considering that the painting "In a Warm Land" is a portrait of a sick woman, leaning on pillows, wrapped in a blanket, sadly living out her life in a chair on the terrace of a Ksilovodsk dacha, one of the contemporary reviewers joked that the hero of the second painting (it depicts a lonely old man standing on an empty platform. Under the ceiling of the station hang thick clouds of steam, dispersing after the departure of the train farewells, porter sweeps away the litter from the stone slabs, hands behind his back next to indifferent stands a policeman) in the warm lands of that suffering from consumption woman sitting in a chair on the balcony of Kovslevodskom.[33]

Contemporaries who knew Anna Chertkova did not recognize her image in the painting "Cursist", and the painting "In a Warm Land" was perceived as a traditional portrait (although, according to the cultural historian and author of a biography of the artist published in Soviet times, Vladimir Porudominsky, it has a more complex plot).[34] Ilya Repin wrote to Chertkov: "Here at the exhibition, the picture of Anna Konstantinovna (by Yaroshenko) convalescing very much to my liking. Expressive and subtle. A beautiful thing".[2][34] Leo Tolstoy, after seeing the canvas "In a Warm Land" at Yaroshenko's posthumous exhibition, called it "Galya in Kislovodsk" (Galya called Chertkova close to her people). Visitors of the traveling exhibition pitied the beautiful lady who, in their opinion, was destined to leave the earthly world. Porudominsky noted that the suffering in this painting, which, in his opinion, lacks "inner content", "iron" and "phosphorus", does not arouse empathy, but pity. According to him, this is why reproductions of the painting "In Warm Lands" were printed before the revolution in magazines intended for ordinary people.[34]

Boris Rosenfeld in his book about the artist's memorial museum-estate wrote that contemporary critics "recognized and highly appreciated" the painting "In a Warm Lands" and considered it "one of the best paintings made in Kislovodsk".[6]

The painting "In a Warm Lands" in the collection of the Russian Museum

The painting "In a Warm Land" in the permanent exposition of the Russian Museum, 2020
Подпись Николая Ярошенко.png









Notes

  1. ^ Kislovodsk is not part of Crimea: Michael Nevedomsky's mistake.
  2. ^ The artist's wife claimed in the materials "To the biography of N. A. Yaroshenko" that the chief offered the artist to submit a petition for resignation on the grounds of illness, which provided a full pension, but Yaroshenko rejected this proposal, stating that he was leaving because of the desire to freely engage in painting.
  3. ^ At present there is a memorial museum — mansion of N. A. Yaroshenko. A. Yaroshenko.
  4. ^ Some details about the painting were given by N. V. Zaitseva in her article. She claimed that the painting was called "Sleeping Child in a Pram", that a preparatory pencil drawing for the painting had been preserved, on which an unidentified person had written "Does not remember". On the basis of handwriting comparison, Zaitseva concluded that the inscription was written by E. F. Shershenyova. F. Shershenyova (in her maiden name - Strakhova), who as a girl entered the Chertkov family, but whom she asked about this sketch and in whose memory it was not known, Zaitseva could not establish.
  5. ^ Boris Rosefeldt, in his book on the White Villa, also writes that the painting was originally titled “sick” and only later became known as “In a Warm Land”.

References

  1. ^ Государственный Русский музей. XVIII — начало XX века. Каталог. — Л.: Аврора, 1980. — 444 p. — P. 364.
  2. ^ a b c Секлюцкий В. В. К заветной цели / Ярошенко в Кисловодске // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. — Ставрополь: Ставропольское книжное издательство, 1963. — P. 9—41, 52—56. — 29 illustr., 120 p. — P. 53. — 25 000 copies.
  3. ^ Неведомский М. П. Художник-интеллигент Н. А. Ярошенко // Нива: Журнал. — 1917. — 22 July (№ 29). — P. 437—442. — P. 439.
  4. ^ Неведомский М. П. Художник-интеллигент // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — М.: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 202. — 296 p. — ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5.
  5. ^ Верещагина А. Г.. Николай Александрович Ярошенко. — Л.: Художник РСФСР, 1967. — 54 p. — P. 48. — (Народная библиотечка по искусству). — 20 000 copies.
  6. ^ a b c Розенфельд Б. М. XIX. У истоков большой дружбы // Белая вилла: Мемориальный музей-усадьба Н.А. Ярошенко в Кисловодске. — Пятигорск: Снег, 2014. — P. 228, — 365 p. — 1000 copies. — ISBN 978-5-903129-60-7.
  7. ^ Ярошенко Н. А. Послужной список Н. А. Ярошенко // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — М.: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 61. — 296 p. — ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5.
  8. ^ a b c Секлюцкий В. В. К заветной цели / Ярошенко в Кисловодске // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. — Ставрополь: Ставропольское книжное издательство, 1963. — P. 52. — 29 illustrations, 120 p. — 25 000 copies.
  9. ^ Поленова И. В. Классический передвижник. Летопись жизни и творчества // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — М.: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 308, 286. — 296 p. — ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5.
  10. ^ Ярошенко Н. А. Послужной список Н. А. Ярошенко // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — М.: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 62. — 296 p. — ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5.
  11. ^ Ярошенко М. П. К биографии Н. А. Ярошенко // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — М.: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 67. — 296 p. — ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5.
  12. ^ Поленова И. В. Классический передвижник. Летопись жизни и творчества // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — М.: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 38, 285. — 296 p. — ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5.
  13. ^ Рогинская Ф. С. Передвижники. — Саратов: СП «Эллис Лак», 1993. — 183 p. — P. 18. — 30 000 экз. — ISBN 210-02099-1.
  14. ^ Поленова И. В. Классический передвижник. Летопись жизни и творчества // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — М.: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 25-26, 38. — 296 p. — ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5.
  15. ^ Поленова И. В. Классический передвижник. Летопись жизни и творчества // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — М.: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 38. — 296 с. — ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5.
  16. ^ Вольф Г. В. . — М.: Белый город, 2008. — 48 p. — P. 39. — (Мастера живописи). — 3000 экз. — ISBN 978-5-7793-1339-1.
  17. ^ Розенфельд Б. М. XIX. У истоков большой дружбы // Белая вилла: Мемориальный музей-усадьба Н.А. Ярошенко в Кисловодске. — Пятигорск: Снег, 2014. — P. 1-365. — 365 p. — 1000 copies. — ISBN 978-5-903129-60-7.
  18. ^ Поленова И. В. Классический передвижник. Летопись жизни и творчества // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — М.: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 285. — 296 p. — ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5.
  19. ^ Секлюцкий В. В. К заветной цели / Ярошенко в Кисловодске // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. — Ставрополь: Ставропольское книжное издательство, 1963. — P. 52-53. — 29 illustrations, 120 p. — 25 000 copies.
  20. ^ Секлюцкий В. В. К заветной цели / Ярошенко в Кисловодске // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. — Ставрополь: Ставропольское книжное издательство, 1963. — P. 53-54. — 29 illustrations, 120 p. — 25 000 copies.
  21. ^ a b Поленова И. В. Классический передвижник. Летопись жизни и творчества // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — М.: БуксМАрт, 2018. — 296 p. — P. 286. — 296 с. — ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5.
  22. ^ Прытков В. А. Творчество Ярошенко 90-х годов // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. — М.: Искусство, 1960. — P. 96. — 54 iilustrations, 320 p. — (Живопись. Скульптура. Графика). — 2500 copies.
  23. ^ Ярошенко Н. А. Из писем // Николай Александрович Ярошенко. Письма. Документы. Современники о художнике. — М.: БуксМАрт, 2018. — P. 134. — 296 p. — ISBN 978-5-906190-92-5.
  24. ^ Зайцева Н. В. Образы В. Г. и А. К. Чертковых в творчестве М. В. Нестерова // Яснополянский сборник. — М.: Издательский дом «Ясная Поляна», 2000. — P. 363. — 1000 copies.
  25. ^ Волкова Т. Н. [Составитель]. Л. Н. Толстой и его близкие. — М.: Современник, 1986. — 373 p. — P. 372, 336. — 50 000 copies.
  26. ^ Муратов М. В. Л. Н. Толстой и В. Г. Чертков по их дневникам и переписке. — М.: Полиграфкнига, 1934. — 502 p. — P. 183. — 5300 copies.
  27. ^ Муратов М. В. Л. Н. Толстой и В. Г. Чертков по их дневникам и переписке. — М.: Полиграфкнига, 1934. — 502 p. — P. 184. — 5300 copies.
  28. ^ Нестеров М. Н. А. Ярошенко // Давние дни. Встречи и воспоминания. — М.: Искусство, 1959. — 399 p. — P. 73-74. — 15 000 copies.
  29. ^ Розенфельд Б. М. XIX. У истоков большой дружбы // Белая вилла: Мемориальный музей-усадьба Н.А. Ярошенко в Кисловодске. — Пятигорск: Снег, 2014. — P. 230. — 365 p. — 1000 copies. — ISBN 978-5-903129-60-7.
  30. ^ Розенфельд Б. М. XIX. У истоков большой дружбы // Белая вилла: Мемориальный музей-усадьба Н. А. Ярошенко в Кисловодске. — Пятигорск: Снег, 2014. — P. 233. — 365 p. — 1000 copies. — ISBN 978-5-903129-60-7.
  31. ^ Товарищество передвижных художественных выставок. Письма, документы. 1869—1899 / В. В. Андреева, М. В. Астафьева, С. Н. Гольдштейн, Н. Л. Приймак. — М.: Искусство, 1987. — 668 p. — P. 392.
  32. ^ Порудоминский В. И. В те годы дальние // Ярошенко. — М.: Искусство, 1979. — 199 p. — P. 118, 141—142. — (Жизнь в искусстве). — 50 000 copies.
  33. ^ Порудоминский В. И. В те годы дальние // Ярошенко. — М.: Искусство, 1979. — 199 p. — P. 141-142. — (Жизнь в искусстве). — 50 000 copies.
  34. ^ a b c Порудоминский В. И. В те годы дальние // Ярошенко. — М.: Искусство, 1979. — 199 p. — P. 54—103 — (Жизнь в искусстве). — 50 000 copies.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=In_a_Warm_Land&oldid=1220991369"