Part Five: Chapter 9

by Leo Tolstoy

　　The old neglected palazzo, with its lofty carved ceilings andfrescoes on the walls, with its floors of mosaic, with its heavyyellow stuff curtains on the windows, with its vases onpedestals, and its open fireplaces, its carved doors and gloomyreception rooms, hung with pictures--this palazzo did much, byits very appearance after they had moved into it, to confirm inVronsky the agreeable illusion that he was not so much a Russiancountry gentleman, a retired army officer, as an enlightenedamateur and patron of the arts, himself a modest artist who hadrenounced the world, his connections, and his ambition for thesake of the woman he loved.

　　The pose chosen by Vronsky with their removal into the palazzowas completely successful, and having, through Golenishtchev,made acquaintance with a few interesting people, for a time hewas satisfied. He painted studies from nature under the guidanceof an Italian professor of painting, and studied medievalItalian life. Medieval Italian life so fascinated Vronsky thathe even wore a hat and flung a cloak over his shoulder in themedieval style, which, indeed, was extremely becoming to him.

　　"Here we live, and know nothing of what's going on," Vronsky saidto Golenishtchev as he came to see him one morning. "Have youseen Mihailov's picture?" he said, handing him a Russian gazettehe had received that morning, and pointing to an article on aRussian artist, living in the very same town, and just finishinga picture which had long been talked about, and had been boughtbeforehand. The article reproached the government and theacademy for letting so remarkable an artist be left withoutencouragement and support.

　　"I've seen it," answered Golenishtchev. "Of course, he's notwithout talent, but it's all in a wrong direction. It's all theIvanov-Strauss-Renan attitude to Christ and to religiouspainting."

　　"What is the subject of the picture?" asked Anna.

　　"Christ before Pilate. Christ is represented as a Jew with allthe realism of the new school."

　　And the question of the subject of the picture having brought himto one of his favorite theories, Golenishtchev launched forthinto a disquisition on it.

　　"I can't understand how they can fall into such a gross mistake.Christ always has His definite embodiment in the art of the greatmasters. And therefore, if they want to depict, not God, but arevolutionist or a sage, let them take from history a Socrates, aFranklin, a Charlotte Corday, but not Christ. They take the veryfigure which cannot be taken for their art, and then..."

　　"And is it true that this Mihailov is in such poverty?" askedVronsky, thinking that, as a Russian Maecenas, it was his duty toassist the artist regardless of whether the picture were good orbad.

　　"I should say not. He's a remarkable portrait-painter. Have youever seen his portrait of Madame Vassiltchikova? But I believe hedoesn't care about painting any more portraits, and so verylikely he is in want. I maintain that..."

　　"Couldn't we ask him to paint a portrait of Anna Arkadyevna?"said Vronsky.

　　"Why mine?" said Anna. "After yours I don't want anotherportrait. Better have one of Annie" (so she called her babygirl). "Here she is," she added, looking out of the window atthe handsome Italian nurse, who was carrying the child out intothe garden, and immediately glancing unnoticed at Vronsky. Thehandsome nurse, from whom Vronsky was painting a head for hispicture, was the one hidden grief in Anna's life. He paintedwith her as his model, admired her beauty and medievalism, andAnna dared not confess to herself that she was afraid of becomingjealous of this nurse, and was for that reason particularlygracious and condescending both to her and her little son.Vronsky, too, glanced out of the window and into Anna's eyes,and, turning at once to Golenishtchev, he said:

　　"Do you know this Mihailov?"

　　"I have met him. But he's a queer fish, and quite withoutbreeding. You know, one of those uncouth new people one's sooften coming across nowadays, One of those free-thinkers youknow, who are reared d'emblee in theories of atheism, scepticism,and materialism. In former days," said Golenishtchev, notobserving, or not willing to observe, that both Anna and Vronskywanted to speak, "in former days the free-thinker was a man whohad been brought up in ideas of religion, law, and morality, andonly through conflict and struggle came to free-thought; but nowthere has sprung up a new type of born free-thinkers who grow upwithout even having heard of principles of morality or ofreligion, of the existence of authorities, who grow up directlyin ideas of negation in everything, that is to say, savages.Well, he's of that class. He's the son, it appears, of someMoscow butler, and has never had any sort of bringing-up. Whenhe got into the academy and made his reputation he tried, as he'sno fool, to educate himself. And he turned to what seemed to himthe very source of culture--the magazines. In old times, yousee, a man who wanted to educate himself--a Frenchman, forinstance--would have set to work to study all the classics andtheologians and tragedians and historiaris and philosophers, and,you know, all the intellectual work that came in his way. But inour day he goes straight for the literature of negation, veryquickly assimilates all the extracts of the science of negation,and he's ready. And that's not all--twenty years ago he wouldhave found in that literature traces of conflict withauthorities, with the creeds of the ages; he would have perceivedfrom this conflict that there was something else; but now hecomes at once upon a literature in which the old creeds do noteven furnish matter for discussion, but it is stated baldly thatthere is nothing else--evolution, natural selection, struggle forexistence--and that's all. In my article I've..."

　　"I tell you what," said Anna, who had for a long while beenexchanging wary glances with Vronsky, and knew that he was not inthe least interested in the education of this artist, but wassimply absorbed by the idea of assisting him, and ordering aportrait of him; "I tell you what," she said, resolutelyinterrupting Golenishtchev, who was still talking away, "let's goand see him!"

　　Golenishtchev recovered his self-possession and readily agreed.But as the artist lived in a remote suburb, it was decided totake the carriage.

　　An hour later Anna, with Golenishtchev by her side and Vronsky onthe front seat of the carriage, facing them, drove up to a newugly house in the remote suburb. On learning from the porter'swife, who came out to them, that Mihailov saw visitors at hisstudio, but that at that moment he was in his lodging only acouple of steps off, they sent her to him with their cards,asking permission to see his picture.