Articles and reminiscences Konstantin Korovin

[Евгений]

VD POLENOV

Academic painting VD Polenov graduated from St. Petersburg University of History and Philology. At the same time he studied painting at the Art Academy in St. Petersburg and graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in conjunction with Repin. For policy work "Resurrection of Christ, the daughter of Jairus, and he got another trip abroad for improvements in the art.

Before the end of the Moscow School of Painting and Sculpture, we, landscape artists, learned that we come to a professor in the School of VD Polenov. In the traveling exhibition was its landscape: yellow sand mound, as reflected in the water of the river on a sunny day in summer. In the foreground, large bushes of alder, blue shadows, and among the alder half gone in the water a rotten old platform, sparkling in the sun. On it sat a frog.

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What are fresh, happy colors and the sun! Thick Paintings.

Levitan and I were amazed by this picture. I also saw the blue shadow, but was afraid to take them - all found: too bright.

Levitan and I eagerly awaited appearance in school Polenova. NAGURNYI class, the students all together. He came. His face and manner, in whole appearance had something in common with Turgenev. He brought with him a bundle from which pulled out the old eastern white cloth and a horse's skull. Carefully nailed matter to a stand, where previously housed sitter, and hung on a background matter a horse's head.

We, the students placed easels and took their places.

- I'll put the still life, - said Polenov. - You will write it after living nature.

And he did.

Half the students were puzzled. Said - what is it? Living nature is better, then - why the skull of a horse? Man's head is more difficult to write, this is nonsense, and so on. Remains in a class of students less than half: to write the still life was not necessarily because many, and left.

I asked Levitan, whether he would write.

- Yes, perhaps - he agreed. I and my side Golovine started writing the skull. Two days later came Polenov and told his disciples that the relationship of colors, they do not take those.

- You do not have that diversity, both in kind. Ratio is incorrect. I first heard about the attitude of colors. Polenov approached me and sat on my seat, looked at work and said:

- You colorist. I recently returned from Palestine, and would like to show you my sketches.
I said that I was very pleased.
He drew from his pocket a small wallet, took out a business card and handed it to me, and wrote down my address. A Polenov - some other "- I thought.

*

In a large mansion house, the garden, in Kudalne, where I came Polenov showed me his sketches in Palestine. They were diverse. From the smallest, less than an inch, to large. They were picturesque, talented. Genisaretskoe lake, the temple of Solomon, the chapel Holy Sepulcher and many others.

- I start the big picture - he said, - "Christ and the sinner." I have to ask you. In his spare time, you little popoziruyte me half an hour. I am with you a little popishu. I need to.

We Polenova in a large room-workshop was particularly smartly. Hung an old oriental matter, any special pots, weapons, costumes. All this he had brought from the East. It was all so unlike our poverty.

And when I returned home, a contrast to my room in Sushchev was great, and I remembered the sharp Savrasov. How these people are different! ..

Polenov was well dressed, as Europeans, and I ... in our school could not come in a starched shirt or tie a necktie. This was a violation of any particular tradition.

When Levitan donned white tie, ES Sorokin said:

- Are you a wedding outfit? Take off, but it gets! ..

*

Polenov in the class showed us photos of the artist Fortuny, a Spaniard - Fortuny was at that time in the glory - and told us:

- Here Fortuny, a great artist, wrote mosaics, one after another separately imposing strokes, different - in tone and color.

Indeed, Fortuny is well painted. But somehow I'm looking at photos of his paintings, he thought: "What kind of attention and skill, but do not touch me, do not inspire. I said it Polenov. He was surprised.

- You impressionist? You know them?

- No, - I replied. - I do not know a single one.

Polenov was so perplexed that it was quite well answered and Levitan.

Then he began to talk to us about the Impressionists.

Once Polenov invited me to Savva Mamontov. For evening tea, which were Vasnetsov, Polenov, Repin, I saw the first Mamontov - a unique human being. He was a cheerful, simple.

- Come to the workshop - offered Savva Ivanovich. - I'll show you a portrait of a Spanish artist. Here Ilya Efimych saw and said that the Spaniards fellows in painting: all the writing is bright, colorful.

I looked, and in the studio on the easel is my sketch - the head of a woman in a blue hat on a background of leaves of the garden, lit by the sun. This sketch took me before Polenov.

- Yes, - said Repin, watching my sketch. - The Spaniard! This can be seen. Boldly, juicy wrote. Fine. But this painting to painting. The Spaniard, however, with the temperament ...

Savva Ivanovich laughed, looking at me, then he said:

- But, listen, and if this is not a Spaniard, a Russian, then?

- As a Russian? No, it is not Russian ...

- Here he is a Spaniard! - Savva Ivanovich said, pointing at me. - What do you want? Also the dark than not a Spaniard? .. And Savva Ivanovich, hugging me, and laughed. Vasnetsov, came and said:

- We played Sawa. No, it's true you have written?

- Yes, - I say. - It's me.

- And now, imagine - said Polenov. - I put this exercise at the exhibition Society for the Promotion of Arts, and all were against it. Do not accept it.

*

When you join the College VD Polenov, as I have said, among students and teachers there were any special mood. Students from the full-scale class Perov, Vladimir Makovsky, IM Pryanishnikova, ES Sorokin, ie "genre painters, did not work at Polenova - and us, the landscape was not enough. Genre painter said, smiling, that the landscape - it is all nonsense, tree write, you can then branch fro turn wherever you want, anything goes. But the eye in the human mind should be put in place. Is difficult.

And the color - it does not matter, and black, you can create a work of art. The color palette - a delight for the idle eye. Landscape of the plot does not. Any fool can write landscape. And without the idea of the genre can not be. Landscape - so, tra-la-la. A genre requires thought.

Between students and teachers went discord. By Polenov be hostile, but by the way, and to us: to Levitan, Golovin, to me, and other landscape painters. Beautiful paintings Polenova - "Moscow court yard", "Grandmother's Garden", "Old Mill", "Winter" - always was silent on the road shows. "Centerpiece" show was Repin - more understandable to the students.

Students argued, genre painters said: "It is important that the writing," and we replied - "No, it is important how to write."

But the majority were on the side of "what to write: We need pictures" with a touch of civic grief. "

If the priest portrayed in the sketches given, then necessarily thick, and the deacon - drunk. Deacon is sitting at the window and drank vodka. The picture was called "Do not matter."

Another painting: the artist, to paint in the winter, fell and froze to death, a palette fell out of his hands. This painting has written Yakovlev. And called "That's what has come!". Man with wealth portrayed in an unattractive way. Merchant was esteemed a fraud, bribe an official, the writer - the smartest, and the prisoner - a martyr for the truth.

Among the young artists was Ryabushkin, who wrote a small painting "Tea Time". This wonderful thing was full of household amenities and at the same time, some genuine unintentional horror what was in Russia. Written as an artist, not thinking about the plot. But it no one paid attention. And after a long time, she surprised everyone.

College art students were young men with no joy. Scenes, ideas, teachings burdening their heads. Beautiful life in his youth had not seen. They wanted everything to correct, guide, influence. And to argue, argue endlessly.

*

Polenov participated in the examination of Arts with an equal right to vote, as faculty-genre painters. But this could not be reconciled: landscape - not a serious art. Landscape can not be a judge of the picture. Therefore, it was changed position on completion of the course students. Landscape could not be a problem for the end of the program, and the first affected by this Svetoslavsky. For his big-picture landscape was not given the title of the class artist.

And we all - Levitan, Svetoslavsky, Golovin, and I - left school with the title neklassnyh artists.

Polenov me once said:

- It is difficult and strange that we have no understanding of art free ...

And Polenov resigned from the School of resignation.

II

Upon emerging from the School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in Moscow, Vasily Polenov wrote his large painting "Christ and the Sinner" and to gather material for paintings once again went to Palestine.

Several times he showed me his picture at work. I somehow do not quite understand why such a remarkable painter of Russian landscape painting, the nature of Russian, so fond of the plot a long history and made a huge picture on the Gospel theme. I think because it was customary at that time to write the big picture. VISurikov, fine artist, always wrote on historical themes, and other paintings he did not recognize. His large paintings Boyarynya Morozova "," Morning strelets penalty, "Menshikov in Berezovo" written over the years, and until the end of Surikov never tell anyone they did not show, carefully guarding, not even speaking to anyone, he said.

This was the kind of feature, a purely domestic, and all those who painted for the traveling exhibition ever shown them during work. The picture appeared on the show unexpectedly. This is all said and newspapers, and this picture was a nail the exhibition. I thought that Polenov also influenced by this, wrote a "nail".

Vasily showed me his picture, as I have said before many times, and wanted to know my opinion. Vasily became friends with me, and once in the summer invited me to accompany him under Aleksino on the Oka River to see the place on the Oka River, where he wanted to build a house to live in it and the summer and winter, to live in nature. On the way to the boat to Alexina B. Polenov told me about his life abroad, and about their ideas in painting. The fact that he wants to write a series of paintings from the life of Christ the Savior.

Over lunch on the boat, he poured me a glass of port and said to me:

- Here I ask you, you, be with me for you.

- Vasily, I am happy to be with you for you, but you're my teacher and I ask you to tell me you are because you are older than me, and it would be nice ...

- Well, well, - has agreed Polenov. - Look, Konstantin, - he said, - I ask you seriously, tell me the truth - that you like my big picture "Christ and the Sinner"? Tell me honestly what you think it is not so.

- Look, Vasily, I do not care that there is action, the moment the scene and the woman, frightened looks at Christ, who will decide her fate, killed her with stones or not. But the picture is landscape, painted on the scene, as it were, from nature. It is the sun of the country. But your paintings and sketches from nature of Russian nature to me more like. Your picture, or rather, its subject, makes, so to speak, to analyze questions of life, whereas the art of painting has one goal - the beauty.

Polenov staring at me.

- Perhaps you're right. Somehow I never thought about it. After three months in my studio on Sadovaya Street in Moscow, which was in the house Artsybusheva came Polenov and very seriously said:

- I came to you on the case. That's what. I ask you, can not you give me an opportunity here for you in the studio to work with nature, well, a model - male or female, anyway. But just give me lessons. I'm in the way of paint and a few luscious conditionally. I beg you - help me keep up with this.

"What?" - I thought.

- Well, - answer, - only better, of course, to write the body.

Polenov wrote in my workshop-old artist's model, and I too. And I remember that he always tried to find the correct color contrasts. Polenov helped me to draw this to a deeper consideration. And he's not, but I learned the secret of more colors ...

- A true ... - Once said Polenov - cunning and mysterious nature in paint. What a pity that you all write sets in the theater, a pity that your painting, for which you do not have the time, is rarely seen at shows.

- My art - I answered Polenov - as a little understood, and who needs it? And the scenery, I just write, like everyone else, and I think that this is the same pure art. And I am glad of it.

- Yes, - said Polenov - you begin to imitate. Almost every day I read the newspaper and always see that you were abused. How strange. Why? Why care about your painting? I can not understand. In my sister's house, his wife - they are sorry for what you write and the scenery, imagine, all arguing about art. Do not care about their subjects, namely, the painting itself. Strange.

*

Soon came to me from Paris my friend the artist Zorn and stopped me. Polenov I met with Zorn. While Zorn was in glory. We went to dinner together to Mamontov. When dinner served soup from Sturgeon - a large piece of fish lying on the plate, in the transparent ear, Zorn looked and did not eat. He was frightened, turned pale and asked Polenova, who sat next to him:

- What, not a snake it?

As we neither spoke to him, that this fish - Zorn had not eaten. Here at the table sat a huge growth in an Italian tenor Taman. He heard about the snake, and too scared and said:

- Ostia! It is impossible ...

How do we not prevail, they took everything spoon piece Sturgeon, showed - "So you see, and put in your mouth fish, nor Zorn, nor Taman could not eat.

In the Tretyakov Gallery Zorn stared paintings, especially Surikov, and told me that he was amazed and delighted by this collection of paintings.

- I see the feature and strength of collected works, they have a purely Russian properties.

Polenov showed him her painting "Christ and the sinner." But Zorn was looking at hanging on the wall next to a large sketch, painted from life Polenov, "Winter in Olonetsk province (where he was born) - the village huts in the background of high forest.

- How does it well, - said Zorn.

- That's because - I said - that seems to Sweden, to your home.

- No, - said Zorn. - Here wondrous colors ...

Zorn, I Polenov were invited to the evening to Prince Golitsyn VM. I think he was at that time governor of Moscow. The prince himself came and invited Zorn and us. His wife, Sophia N. Golitsyn, draw and paint colors. The people at the party were many, many ladies of the world. Here we see the famous artist-a foreigner.

For a large round table there are guests for tea.

- Now this painting went, - said one woman. - Horror! All strokes and strokes, can not understand anything. Awful. I have seen recently in St. Petersburg exhibition. They said that the Impressionists. Drawn in a haystack, and imagine, blue ... It is impossible, terrible. We have hay, and, I think, everywhere - the green, is not it? And he has blue! And strokes, strokes ... Famous, they say, impressionist painter, a Frenchman. This is what a horror! You are so good that is not an impressionist, I hope we have them there, and thank God.

I look - Zorn as a blink.

- Yes. But Velasquez - impressionist, ma'am, - he said.

- Really? - Astonished ladies.

- Yes, and he (Zorn pointed at me) - an impressionist.

- What do you. Really? - Once again marveled at the ladies. - A portrait of Sophie written so smoothly! ..

Way to the house Zorn asked me:

- This is the highest light?

- Yes, - I say.

- How strange.

Zorn silent. And the next morning he gathered his bags and went home to Sweden.

*

With a great sense of gratitude, I remember my art teacher. Dear friend, Vasily Dmitrievich Polenova. What a humble soul was this wonderful artist! How he loved us, Levitan, me and Fyodor Chaliapin, who painted for costume Mephistopheles. He told me that he wanted to write the earthly life of Christ. "Nothing strikes me as not, - he said - as the image of the Savior."

- They say, Alexei Savrasov Kondratievich died - I said once Polenov - in Rostokin near Moscow. One. It told me the doorman College Plaksin. He was at the funeral and was Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov, no one else. It is said that his patron was a man who gave his canvases, paints, brushes and put the vodka. And he wrote endlessly some pictures.

- A beautiful artist was - said Polenov. - I met him and talked, but he somehow shy rejected, and it was evident that he was sick. In a huge Russia - Academy of Fine Arts, the Moscow School of Painting, Kiev, Odessa. And how little artists. And what a hard life of them. And you know, it must be a secret life. Poet, writer, artist. They forget. How unnatural. Turns off and die a lot of energy, which is admired, then make cheap. It seems not only for us, nowhere is a lot of true artists.

*

Three years ago I received a letter here in Paris that Basil died Polenov.

The letter was from his wife, Natalia Vassilyevna. She wrote movingly to me that Vasily, dying of old age, was fully conscious. "Two days before his death, he told me - wrote to his wife, - I take out a sketch of Constantine, a river in Zhukovka and hang there, in front of me on the wall. I'll watch. And if I die, write to him in Paris's bow, say see you, perhaps, again on this river ... "