Avramenko Valentina
The theme of creativity in the story by N.V. Gogol's "Portrait" and the artist's responsibility for his talent given to him by God.
Who has the talent
He should be purer than all in soul.
N.V. Gogol
Gogol is always interesting to read. Even long-known works you start to re-read and get carried away, plunging into a world where reality and fantasy are intertwined, where rich, bright colors thicken, set off the gloomy background of the story. It would seem that he is a serious classical writer, philosopher, but you take his book and become, voluntarily or involuntarily, a participant in events, sometimes unrealistic, and sometimes even the most mundane. In the story "Portrait" there are both.
I am convinced that the story "Portrait" cannot leave anyone indifferent, because the idea of this story was, is and will always be interesting.
Surprisingly, one of the most significant critics of his time, V. G. Belinsky disapproved of the story "Portrait":
“This is an unsuccessful attempt by Mr. Gogol in a fantastic way. Here his talent falls, but even in the fall he remains a talent.
Probably, the success of Pushkin's The Queen of Spades prompted Gogol to tell his story about a man who was killed by a thirst for gold. The author called his story "Portrait". Is it because the portrait of the usurer played a fatal role in the fate of his heroes-artists, whose fates are compared in two parts of the story? Or because Gogol wanted to give a portrait of modern society and a talented person who perishes or is saved despite hostile circumstances and the humiliating properties of nature? Or is it a portrait of the art and soul of the writer himself, who is trying to escape from the temptation of success and prosperity and purify his soul by high service to art?
Probably, there is in this strange story N.V. Gogol and social, and moral, and aesthetic meaning, is a reflection on what a person, society, art. Modernity and eternity are intertwined here so inseparably that the life of the Russian capital in the 30s of the 19th century goes back to biblical reflections about good and evil, about their endless struggle in the human soul.
We meet the artist Chartkov at that moment in his life when, with youthful ardor, he loves the heights of the genius of Raphael, Michelangelo, Correggio and despises handicraft fakes that replace art for the layman. Seeing in the shop a strange portrait of an old man with piercing eyes, Chartkov is ready to give the last two kopecks for him. Poverty did not take away from him, but perhaps gave him the ability to see the beauty of life and enthusiastically work on his sketches. He reaches for the light and does not want to turn art into an anatomical theater, to expose the “disgusting person” with a knife-brush. He rejects artists whose "nature itself ... seems low, dirty," so that "there is nothing illuminating in it." Chartkov, according to his teacher in painting, is talented, but impatient and prone to worldly pleasures, fuss. But as soon as the money, miraculously fallen out of the frame of the portrait, gives Chartkov the opportunity to lead such a tempting social life and enjoy prosperity; wealth and fame, not art, become his idols. Chartkov owes his success to the fact that, drawing a portrait of a secular young lady, which turned out to be bad for him, he was able to rely on a disinterested work of talent - a drawing of Psyche, where the dream of an ideal being was felt, physically felt. But the ideal was not alive, and only by uniting with the impressions of real life did it become attractive, and real life acquired the significance of the ideal. However, Chartkov lied, giving the colorless girl the appearance of Psyche. Flattering for the sake of success, he betrayed the purity of art. And the talent began to leave Chartkov, betrayed him. “Whoever has a talent in himself, he must be purer in soul than anyone else,” the father says to his son in the second part of the story. Isn't it true that this is an almost verbatim repetition of Mozart's words in Pushkin's tragedy: "Genius and villainy are two incompatible things." But for Pushkin, good is in the nature of genius. Gogol, on the other hand, writes a story that the artist, like all people, is subject to the temptation of evil, but destroys himself and his talent more terrible and faster than ordinary people. Talent that is not realized in true art, talent that parted with good, becomes destructive for the individual.
Chartkov, who for the sake of success conceded truth to goodness, ceases to feel life in its multicoloredness, variability, and trembling. His portraits console, entertain, "enchant" customers, but do not live, they do not reveal, but close the personality, nature. And despite the fame of a fashionable painter, Chartkov feels that he has nothing to do with real art, capable of elevating, purifying, moving towards the search for a new one ... A wonderful picture of an artist who for several years, starving, experiencing hardships, avoided all pleasures, studied in Italy, shocked Chartkov. But the shock he experienced does not awaken him to a new life, because for this it is necessary to give up the pursuit of wealth and fame, to kill the evil in himself. Chartkov chooses a different path, worthy of "insignificance from art": he begins to expel the divine from the world, buy up and cut magnificent canvases, and kill the good. And this path leads him to madness and death.
What was the cause of these terrible transformations: the weakness of a person in the face of temptations or the mystical sorcery of a portrait of a usurer who gathered the evil of the world in his burning gaze?
N.V. Gogol gave an ambivalent answer to this question. A real explanation of Chartkov's fate is as possible as a mystical one. A dream that leads the hero to gold can be both the fulfillment of his subconscious desires, and the aggression of evil spirits, which is remembered whenever it comes to the portrait of a usurer. The words "devil", "devil", "darkness", "demon" turn out to be the speech frame of the portrait in the story.
An artist who has touched evil, painted the usurer's eyes, which "looked demonically crushing", can no longer paint good, his brush is driven by an "impure feeling", and in the picture intended for the temple, "there is no holiness in the faces."
All people associated with the usurer in real life perish, betraying the best properties of their nature. The artist who reproduced evil expanded its influence. The portrait of a usurer robs people of the joy of life and awakens "such longing ... just as if he wanted to kill someone." In my opinion, the portrait of a usurer with his devilish gaze is a symbol not only of demonism, but also of an insane, burning thirst for enrichment. The portrait brought misfortune to people, that is, the thirst for money kills everything sacred in a person. This is exactly what Gogol wanted to tell his readers. And it is not enough to get rid of this portrait - you need to change your consciousness, cleanse your soul and thoughts. An example of this is an artist who went to a monastery. He realized the destructive power of the portrait and villainy, which moves the hand of the artist, changed his worldview.
No wonder Gogol shows us three stories of different artists. There is a lesson to be learned from every story. They are known to have been endowed with a talent from God. But then God is powerless: everyone disposes of his talent as he wants and as he can. Everyone decides for himself what his talent will serve: good or evil. But, as I have already noticed, villainy and genius are incompatible things. What follows from this? And the fact that if an artist serves evil, then his genius, his talented beginning will certainly perish. Yes, it will help him achieve some goals, but at the same time, it will take away the most sacred from him. Chartkov chose evil. But, realizing this, he did not try to change, like the artist who created the usurer, but continued his “devilish” work - this time he began to destroy the works of those who did not betray their talent for the sake of the “golden god”.
So how not to waste your gift in vain? Consider the parable of talent. One owner gave a coin to two slaves and asked them to save it until he returned. One, after a while, gave him a coin, saying that he kept it buried in the ground. And the other brought 10 times more, saying that he put the coin into circulation and made a fortune. So, according to Gogol, and human talent - "bury it in the ground" - nothing will come of it, but you will use it wisely, and you will reap the rewards. Only, I think, you need to make every effort, because talent without work and perseverance is nothing. Only having a high goal in front of you, knowing your destiny, following selfless calls, and not serving evil, can you hope for the “correct” realization of talent.
Nevertheless, the story "Portrait" does not bring reassurance, showing how all people, regardless of the properties of their character and the height of their convictions, are subject to evil. Gogol, having altered the ending of the story, takes away the hope of eradicating evil. In the first edition, the appearance of the usurer mysteriously evaporates from the canvas, leaving the canvas blank. In the final text of the story, the portrait of the usurer disappears: evil again began to roam the world ...
So, N.V. Gogol, with his story, claims that art brings not only good, but also evil. But at the same time, he says that art should carry the same as talent, exclusively good. Only in this case is it true, the talent is genuine and, therefore, the soul is pure.
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N. In Gogol (1809 - 1852) He has not yet been crucified, But the hour will come - he will be on the cross; He was sent by the god of Anger and Sorrow to the Slaves of the earth to remind of Christ. N. Nekrasov
“Do not collect treasures on earth ...” The story of N. V. Gogol “Portrait”
A. I. Ivanov "The Appearance of Christ to the People"
Save the purity of your soul. Whoever has a talent in himself, he must be purer than all in soul.
The theme of creativity in N. V. Gogol's story "Portrait" 1. The problem of confrontation between craft and art. 2. An artist who managed to preserve, exalt his talent. 4. Creativity is primarily a spiritual matter; it cannot be polluted with vanity. 3. The religious painter serves God.
N.V. Gogol saw St. Petersburg not only as a flourishing capital, whose life is full of magnificent balls, not only as a city where the best achievements of the art of Russia and Europe are concentrated. The writer saw in him a concentrate of depravity, poverty and cowardice. The collection “Petersburg Tales” was devoted to the designation of the problems of the society of northern Palmyra, and at the same time to the whole of Russia, and the search for ways of salvation. This cycle includes "Portrait", which will be discussed in our article.
The idea of the story "Portrait" came from the writer in 1832. The first edition was published in the collection "Arabesques" in 1835. Later, after writing "Dead Souls" and a trip abroad, in 1841, Gogol subjected the book to significant changes. In the third issue of Sovremennik, the new version saw the light. It changed epithets, dialogues, rhythm of presentation, and the surname of the leading character became "Chartkov" instead of "Chertkov", which was associated with the devil. Such is the history of the Portrait.
The motif of the image, which has a sinister power, was inspired by Gogol by Maturin's then fashionable novel Melmoth the Wanderer. In addition, the image of a greedy usurer also makes these works related. In the image of a greedy businessman, whose portrait turns the life of the protagonist, echoes of the myth of Ahasuerus, the "Eternal Jew", who cannot find peace, can be heard.
The ideological idea of the work lies in its title - "Portrait". It is no coincidence that Gogol names his brainchild that way. It is the portrait that is the cornerstone of the entire work, it allows you to expand the genre range from a story to a detective story, and also completely changes the life of the protagonist. It is also filled with a special ideological content: it is he who is a symbol of greed, depravity. This work raises the question of art, its authenticity.
In addition, this title of the story makes the reader think about the problems that the writer reveals. What else could the title be? Suppose, "The death of the artist" or "Greed", all this would not carry such a symbolic meaning, and the ominous image would remain only a work of art. The name “Portrait” focuses the reader on this particular creation, makes him always keep in mind, and later, see in it more than the captured face.
The direction of fantastic realism set by Gogol was relatively little manifested in this work. There are no ghosts, animated noses or other humanized objects, but there is some mystical power of the usurer, whose money brings people only grief; the picture, made at the end of his life, continues the terrible mission of the person depicted on it. But to all the terrifying phenomena that happened to Chartkov after acquiring the canvas, Gogol gives a simple explanation: it was a dream. Therefore, the role of fantasy in the "Portrait" is not great.
The story in the second part receives elements of a detective story. The author gives an explanation of where the money could come from, the discovery of which at the beginning of the work seemed magical. In addition, the fate of the portrait itself has the features of a detective: it mysteriously disappears from the wall during the auction.
The depiction of the characters of Chartkov's capricious clients, his naive craving for tasteless pomp - all these are comic techniques embodied in the book. Therefore, the genre of the story correlates with satire.
The story "Portrait" consists of two parts, but each of them has its own compositional features. The first section has a classical structure:
The second part can be perceived as an epilogue or a kind of author's commentary on the above. The peculiarities of the composition of the "Portrait" is that Gogol uses the technique of a story within a story. The son of the artist who painted the sinister portrait shows up at the auction and claims his rights to the work. He tells about the difficult fate of his father, the life of a greedy usurer and the mystical properties of the portrait. His speech is framed by the bargaining of the auctioneers and the disappearance of the very subject of the dispute.
The action takes place in St. Petersburg. The young artist Chartkov is in dire need, but for the last pennies he buys a portrait of an old man in a shop in Shchukin's yard, whose eyes "stroke as if they were alive." Since then, unprecedented changes began to occur in his life. One night the young man dreamed that the old man came to life and put out a bag of gold. In the morning, gold coins were found in the frame of the picture. The hero moved from the best apartment, acquired all the things necessary for painting in the hope of devoting himself to art and developing his talent. But everything turned out quite differently. Chartkov became a fashionable popular artist, and his main activity was the writing of commissioned portraits. Once he saw the work of his friend, which awakened in the young man his former interest in real creativity, but it was too late: the hand does not obey, the brush performs only memorized strokes. Then he goes berserk: he buys the best canvases and brutally destroys them. Soon Chartkov dies. This is the essence of the work: material wealth destroys the creative nature in a person.
During the auction, when his property is being sold, one gentleman claims the rights to the portrait of the old man, which was bought by Chartkov at Shchukin's yard. He tells the background and description of the portrait, and also admits that he himself is the son of the artist, the author of this work. But during the auction, the painting mysteriously disappears.
We can say that each part of the story has its own main character: in the first it is Chartkov, and in the second the image of a usurer is vividly presented.
This relatively small story touches on many topics relating to quite diverse areas of human life.
Always remember about your soul, and not chase after wealth - this is the main idea of the story "Portrait". All the possibilities for achieving the goal, finding happiness in a person already exist - Gogol says this. Later, Chekhov would turn to this idea in his drama Three Sisters, where the girls would believe that the path to joy is Moscow. And Nikolai Vasilievich shows that it is possible to reach the goal, in this case, to comprehend art, without special material costs. The main thing is not in them, but in the inner strength of a person.
The narrator in the second part narrates about the fatal impact of the usurer's money, but is it fair to attribute all the troubles to mysticism? A person who puts money at the forefront is vulnerable to envy and depravity. That is why wild jealousy awakened in the happy wife, and despair and vindictiveness in Chartkovo. This is the philosophical meaning of the story "Portrait".
A person who is strong in spirit is not subject to such low qualities, she is able to cope with them and get rid of them from herself. This illustrates the life path of the artist, the author of the portrait of the usurer.
The story "Portrait" warns of the dangers of glorifying money. The conclusion is simple: wealth cannot be set as the goal of life: this leads to the death of the soul. It is important to note that the image of a small person is characterized not only by material poverty, but also spiritual. This can explain the troubles of Chartkov and the usurer's borrowers. But Gogol does not give a single positive example when money would be useful. The author's position is clearly expressed: the writer sees the only correct way in spiritual perfection, in renunciation of secular temptations. The protagonist realizes this too late: he did not heed the warnings of his teacher, for which he was severely punished.
In this story, Gogol is closest to Hoffmann in style and method of correlating the fantastic and the real. Here, every unusual thing can be explained rationally, and the characters are as close as possible to the society of St. Petersburg. Such persuasiveness alarmed the reader of the story and made the "Portrait" a relevant work both for Gogol's contemporaries and for his heirs.
Literary criticism of the author's contemporaries was varied. Belinsky disapproved of this story, especially the second part, he considered it an appendage, in which the writer himself was not visible. Shevyrev also adhered to a similar position, accusing Gogol of a weak manifestation of the fantastic in the Portrait. But the contribution of Nikolai Vasilyevich to the development of Russian classical prose can hardly be overestimated, and The Portrait also contributes here. Chernyshevsky speaks about this in his articles.
Considering the assessments of critics, it is important to keep in mind that the final edition of the "Portrait" was in the late, critical period of Gogol's work. At this time, the writer is looking for a way to save Russia, mired in bribery, greed and philistinism. In letters to friends, he admits that he sees an opportunity to correct the situation in teaching, and not in the introduction of any newfangled ideas. From these positions, the validity of the criticism of Belinsky and Shevyrev should be considered.
Interesting? Save it on your wall!Particularly interesting is the "Portrait" (see its full text and summary); he worked hard on it and remade it more than once. "Portrait" develops two themes 1) about the death of the artist Chartkov and 2) about a terrible usurer. In the first theme, the idea is developed that one cannot serve self-interest and pure art at the same time, practical benefits and the ideal. The evil genius convinced the talented artist that "everything is done in the world for the good", that it is stupid to starve, leaving people in the world of pure dreams. And the hero of the "Portrait", the artist Chartkov, obeyed this voice, was seduced by the blessings of the world, began to look at art as a means of profit, and became a craftsman, but got rich because he learned to adapt to the tastes of the "mob". When he once managed to see a work written by an idealist artist, he realized what a great deity he had betrayed, but he could no longer return to him.
Kukryniksy's illustration for Gogol's story "Portrait"
In addition to this lofty view of art, which should be pure and holy, Gogol expressed in his "Portrait" another interesting idea that "realism", as an artistic device, must know the boundaries, that not everything in the reality around us can be the subject of artistic Images. The disgusting face of the usurer, especially his terrible eyes, was so artistically painted in the portrait that horror seized all who saw him. Gogol asks: “Or is there such a line for a person, to which the highest knowledge of art brings, and through which, having stepped, he already steals a person not created by labor, he pulls out something alive from life that animates the original. Why, then, is this passage beyond the line set by the boundary for the imagination so terrible? Or after the imagination, the impulse is finally followed by reality, that terrible reality, on which the imagination jumps off its axis with some extraneous push, that terrible reality that appears to those who thirst for it when, wanting to comprehend a beautiful person, he is armed with an anatomical knife. , opens his insides and sees a disgusting person?
These thoughts of the artist Chartkov were, in fact, the thoughts of Gogol himself during the period of writing the "Portrait" - that period of his work, when he moved from romanticism to realism and tried to determine for himself the essence of this artistic direction.
Finally, we meet in the "Portrait" the idea of the religious significance of art. The artist who depicted the usurer depicted, without suspecting it, the devil. When he learned this, he went to a monastery, fasting and praying to atone for his sin, the sin of an artist who portrayed Satan as the embodiment of sin and evil. Since then, he devoted his art to icon painting, but for a long time he could not get rid of the influence of Satan. Finally, he was forgiven.
Thus, in the “Portrait” Gogol (as if anticipating the emergence in literature of the “naturalistic school” of Zola, Maupassant and others) condemned that art that comes too close to life, does not understand the phenomena of reality. Gogol sees the ultimate goal of art in a religious and moral mission.
The "Portrait" served as an answer to questions and doubts that worried Gogol himself. In addition, this story was based on a number of Russian works that dealt with similar themes, which were also popular in German romantic literature (cf. "Devil's Elixir" Hoffmann). The fantastic element of the story, the story of the usurer-devil, is also common in German romantic literature. Compared with Hoffmann's unstoppable fantasy, Gogol is still a very moderate writer: the flair of a realist artist helped him to stay within the boundaries.
Nikolai Vasilyevich liked to dream up in his stories, to create a mystical plot, as can be seen from his famous stories “Viy”, “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka”. But if here the reader has to plunge into the fictional world of a folklore character, then Gogol's "Portrait" shows that the author wanted to transfer fantasy to social phenomena. In this, Nikolai Vasilyevich reminds many foreign writers, in whom the "supernatural" captures the world. In our case, money is evil.
Internal confrontation between wealth and talent
At the beginning of the story, a young, promising artist Chartkov appears before the reader. He is poor, therefore he envies the fate of painters who should paint a few pictures in order to bathe in luxury. The young man grumbles at his fate, because he has to live in obscurity and poverty. And here Gogol creates an atypical and completely fantastic situation. An analysis of the work "Portrait" shows the gradual transformation of Chartkov from a talented artist into an envious and greedy person who ruined his talent.
In a shop in Shchukin's yard, the artist finds a mysterious portrait, which, as a result, becomes a source of his enrichment. The picture contains a particle of the diabolical soul of the usurer Petromichaly. At first, Chartkov buys engravings and mannequins with the money received in order to seriously engage in art, but then he succumbs to temptation, acquiring completely useless and unnecessary things for him. It comes to the point that a young man buys up talented paintings by other painters and destroys them at home.
An analysis of Gogol's "Portrait" shows that the desire to have everything at once can kill talent. Chartkov drew beautifully, but even his teacher noticed that he was impatient and kept an eye on fashion trends. The teacher instructs the young artist not to waste his talent on painting portraits for money. But Chartkov wants instant fame and money. An analysis of Gogol's work "Portrait" shows that you have to pay for everything, the painter received wealth, but his brush became colorless, he lost his gift.
N.V. Gogol "Portrait" wrote to contrast the completely different characters of people and their views on art. The father of the narrator was the author of the diabolical portrait. This man, as soon as he realized what power the picture had, and what a sin he had committed, immediately went to the monastery to atone for his sins. The writer does not see anything wrong with the fact that evil is depicted with the help of art, but a person must repent of this and not ruin his talent.
Analysis of Gogol's work "Portrait" shows that the icon painter, who spent more than one year in prayer, was able to paint a picture of the birth of Jesus in such a way that all its heroes seem to be alive. Even the abbot was struck by the holiness of the figures, saying that a higher power led the painter's brush. Nikolai Vasilievich, using the example of two people, showed his attitude towards art. Chartkov went from talent to death, and the icon painter - from committing sin to good.
Plot, characters, problems of one of N. Gogol's stories Journey of a portrait. Gogol is always interesting to read. Even well-known, shabby things you start to read and get carried away. And even more so little-known stories. It would seem that he is a serious classical writer, philosopher, but you take his book and you are transported to the most interesting world, sometimes mystical, and sometimes the most worldly. In the story "Portrait" there is both. The author puts his hero in an unprecedented situation: a poor, talented artist suddenly gets everything he dreams of: money, fame, through a mysterious portrait, which he himself buys with the last money from a merchant. He is strangely attracted to the eyes of the person in the portrait. As if a lively look surprises everyone with its strength and terrible plausibility. That same night, Chartkov sees a strange half-sleep-half-awake. He dreams that the old man depicted in the portrait “moved and suddenly rested against the frame with both hands. Finally, he got up on his hands and, sticking out both legs, jumped out of the frames ... ”In a dream, Chartkov sees an old man with 1,000 chervonets, but in reality the money really ends up in a portrait frame. The quarterly inadvertently touches the frame, and the dreamed bundle falls in front of Chartkov. The first thoughts “prompted by reason” were noble: “Now I am provided for at least three years, I can lock myself in a room and work. On the paints now I have; for lunch, for tea, for maintenance, for an apartment; no one will interfere and annoy me now; I will buy myself an excellent dummy, I will order a plaster torso, I will shape the legs, I will place Venus, I will buy engravings from the first paintings. And if I work for three years for myself, slowly, not for sale, I will kill them all, and I can be a glorious artist. But the artist, who had been in poverty for a long time, also dreamed of something else: “a different voice was heard from within, louder and louder. And as he looked again at the gold, twenty-two years and ardent youth spoke in him. Chartkov did not even notice how he bought himself clothes, “twice he rode around the city in a carriage for no reason”, visited a restaurant, a hairdresser and moved to a new apartment. A dizzying career fell on him. He was published in the newspaper, and the first customers appeared. A noble lady brought her daughter to paint a portrait of her. Gogol does not do without comical moments in any of his works. Here is a very well-aimed joke of the lady's enthusiasm for painting:
“... However, Monsieur Zero ... oh, how he writes! What an amazing brush! I find that he has even more expression in his faces than Titian. You don't know Monsieur Zero? Who is this Zero? - asked the artist. Monsieur Zero. Ah, what a talent!
One joke conveyed both the level and interests of secular society. The artist, with great interest and still not lost talent, began to paint a portrait. He conveyed to the canvas all the shades of a young face, did not miss a certain yellowness and a barely noticeable blue shadow under the eyes. But mother didn't like it. She objected that it might be only today, but usually the face is striking in its special freshness. Having corrected the shortcomings, the artist noted with chagrin that the individuality of nature had also disappeared. Still wishing to express what he noticed in the girl, Chartkov transfers all this to his old sketch of Psyche. Ladies, on the other hand, are delighted with the "surprise" that the artist came up with the idea of depicting her "in the form of Psyche." Unable to convince the ladies, Chartkov gives the portrait of Psyche. Society admired the new talent, Chartkov was showered with orders. But this was far from what makes it possible for a painter to develop.
Here Gogol also gives vent to humor: “The ladies demanded that mostly only the soul and character be depicted in portraits, so that sometimes the rest was not adhered to at all, rounded off all the corners, alleviated all the flaws and even, if possible, avoided them altogether ... The men were also nothing better ladies. One demanded to be depicted in a strong, energetic turn of the head; the other with inspired eyes raised upwards; the lieutenant of the guard demanded without fail that Mars be visible in the eyes; the civil dignitary strove so that there was more directness, nobility in the face and that the hand rested on a book on which it would be written in clear words: "Always stood for the truth." And so, over time, Chartkov becomes fashionable, but, alas, an empty painter. The reason for this, of course, was the portrait, with its diabolical charms. But through a fantastic plot, the author shows what fame and fortune can do to a person. It is not necessary to buy a magical portrait to become a slave. It is not for nothing that the professor, his mentor, warns at the very beginning: “You have a talent; it will be a sin if you destroy him. See that a fashionable painter does not come out of you.
Gradually disappears creative desire, awe. Busy with balls and visits, the artist barely outlines the main features, leaving the students to finish painting. Already the talent that made its way in him at the beginning has faded without a trace behind the embellishment of officials, ladies, their daughters and girlfriends. On the pedestal, which was previously occupied by painting, perched a passion for gold. Gold became everything for Chartkov. It would have filled his life completely, if not for one event. The Academy of Arts invited the famous Chartkov to evaluate a painting by a Russian artist brought from Italy. The picture he saw so impressed the celebrity that he could not even express the prepared disparaging judgment.
The painting was so beautiful that it stirred up the stale past in him. Tears choked him and without saying a word he ran out of the hall. The sudden illumination of a ruined life blinded him. Realizing that he will never return the killed talent, the bygone youth, Chartkov becomes a terrible monster. With ominous greed, he begins to buy up all worthy works of art and destroy them. It became his main passion and his only occupation. As a result, insane and sick, he dies in a terrible fever, where everywhere he sees a portrait of an old man. Terrible eyes from the portrait look at him from everywhere.
But another hero, who is mentioned only in the second part of the story, does otherwise. Like Chartkov, still a young artist, he meets a very unusual person, a usurer, who asks to paint his portrait. Rumors about this usurer are very mysterious. Everyone who contacted him was sure to get into trouble. But as an artist, he still undertakes to paint a portrait. The resemblance to the original is striking, the eyes seem to be looking from the portrait. But, having painted the usurer, the artist realizes that he will no longer be able to paint pure images. The artist realizes that he painted the devil. After that, he goes to the monastery forever to cleanse himself. As a gray-haired old man, he reaches enlightenment and, taking up a brush, is already able to paint saints. Giving instructions to his son, he himself says, like a saint: “A hint of the divine, the heavenly is concluded for a person in art, and therefore alone it is already above everything ... Sacrifice everything to him and love him with all passion, not passion, breathing earthly lust, but quiet heavenly passion: without it, a person has no power to rise from the earth and cannot give wonderful sounds of calm. For in order to calm and reconcile all, a high creation of art descends into the world. However, the story does not end optimistically. Gogol lets the portrait continue its fateful journey, warning that no one is immune from evil.
