Past: two portraits of Mary Savina
 

Over Savina Maria Gavrilovna strengthened the legend of St. Petersburg Sarah Bernhardt, which meant that the highest estimate of creativity actress. Contemporaries is very kind and exacting attitude to everything that it was connected. Portraits of the actress has always been under the scrutiny of fans, and this is understandable, because they saw it live, enjoyed her game, applauded her.
In this small report from the theatrical exhibition suggested contemporary:
"Here are two portraits of M. Savina. One - French artist, the other - Makovsky. Both were written in his youth Savina. Perhaps the Frenchman wrote a year or two or three before. As far as the Frenchman understood and illuminated face Savina, so Makovsky did not understand anything and everything before him saw, debased, ironed, smoothed, making some bonbonerochnuyu head: even a simple photographic likeness did not return.
Previous portrait of the French artist, I stayed a long time. Savina depicted in such a canvas, which has been preserved in my memory in the roles Lelechki ( "Wandering lights"), Oli ( "shining yes no heat") .... We Savina in the eyes, gazing seriously and thoughtfully, even sitting devil, the devil. Eyes do not smile, but can raise a laugh. His eyes are calm, but may ignite a fire. Some sort of gypsy blood, as if shimmering in the blue-veined ... Perhaps, the specialists will find significant deficiencies in the portrait, but the artist is something I guessed that something foreseen, any possibility of the predestined. And his prediction has come true ... "
Note A. Kugel in the journal "Theater and Arts» № 10, 1908.
The picture, for comparison - Actress MG Savina as Lyalechki in the play "Wandering lights" on the play by Antropov - first debut in St. Petersburg March 14, 1874