"Portrait" is a story about the fate of the artist and the struggle between good and evil in the human soul. In this work we meet three painters: young Chartkov, an icon painter and his son.
Chartkov is described in the first part. He appears before us quite talented, but poor and murmuring about his fate. The young artist is offended by the fact that fashionable painters draw a few "pictures" and get big money, while he is forced to live in poverty and obscurity. And suddenly he finds himself in an unprecedented situation: he gets everything he dreams of through a mysterious portrait. He does not immediately succumb to temptation, but first decides to buy mannequins and prints and seriously engage in art. But 22 years and youth spoke in him. Inner voice and the desires of the artist oppose his reason. He rushes to buy unnecessary things, spends money on previously inaccessible pleasures. Why did money turn out to be stronger than the artist's talent? Here are the words of the teacher Chartkov: “You have a talent; it will be a sin if you destroy it. But you are impatient. painter... Your drawing is not strict, the line is not visible, you are already chasing fashionable lighting... Beware, the light is already beginning to pull you... It is tempting, you can start painting fashionable pictures, portraits for money. lost talent... The word "fashionable" occurs three times in his speech and sounds like a reproach. That is, Chartkov has a talent and a desire to learn, but another part of his soul longs for instant success and fame. And it is this part that overpowers the first. The reason for this was the devilish money that pushed Chartkov to fame, but for which he had to pay with his talent. As a result, a person morally falls. At the beginning of the story, Gogol spoke about Chartkov as a "young artist with talent", and at the end of the first part, this artist bought best paintings and, bringing them home, with the fury of a tiger, he rushed at them, tore, tore, cut into pieces and trampled them under his feet.
The artist, the father of the narrator of the second part, committed a sin by painting a portrait of a usurer. He goes to a monastery and becomes a hermit. Here a person does not go from talent to death, but from committing sin to ascending to goodness. After spending long years in prayers and fasts, he finally takes up the brush and writes the birth of Jesus. It is not for nothing that the abbot, struck by the “extraordinary holiness of the figures” in the painting of the Nativity of Jesus, says to the artist: “No, a person cannot be with the help of one human art produce such a picture: a saint high power led with your brush and the blessing of heaven rested on your work. The icon painter instructs his twenty-year-old son, also an artist, who is going on a trip to Italy. This artist B. is as young as Chartkov, but as we see from the description of him at the auction, he was an unfashionably dressed young man who was alien to all social upheavals and who did not care about fashion. He, having received a request from his father to find and destroy the portrait, comes to the auction.
In the story of fate, three artists are united by a portrait of a usurer, who at the end mysteriously disappears from the auction.

Temptation in the story of N.V. Gogol "Portrait"

1.1 The history of the creation of the story "Portrait" by N.V. Gogol

The story of N.V. Gogol's "Portrait" was first published in the collection "Arabesques" in 1835. After the success of Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka, N.V. Gogol collected articles on art (“Painting, sculpture and music”, “A few words about Pushkin”, “On the architecture of the present time”), lectures and articles on history and reflections on historical figures and published them together with the story “Portrait”, writing in the preface: “I confess that I might not have admitted some plays to this collection at all if I had published it a year earlier, when I was more strict with my old works. But, instead of sternly judging the past, it is much better to be inexorable to your current pursuits. To destroy what we have written before seems to be as unfair as to forget days gone by of his youth. Moreover, if an essay contains two or three truths that have not yet been said, then the author has no right to hide it from the reader, and for two or three correct thoughts one can forgive the imperfection of the whole.

Probably, Gogol's mentoring tone, his desire to teach and careful attention to his own personality are already caught in the preface. However, the success Queen of Spades» A.S. Pushkin, perhaps, prompted Gogol to tell a story about a man who was ruined by a thirst for gold. After all, the "Portrait" was written precisely in 1834, when Pushkin's stories were widely discussed. Gogol considers life contemporary artist against the backdrop of history and art. This feature of the story "Portrait" is very important in order to understand how the writer shares vanity and eternity, how he seeks the true meaning human life and defines the true meaning and purpose of art.

After the release of "Arabesques" one of the most significant critics of that time, 30-40s of the nineteenth century, V.G. Belinsky disapproved of the story "Portrait": "There is a portrait unsuccessful attempt Mr. Gogol in a fantastic way. Here his talent falls, but even in the fall he remains a talent. The first part of this story is impossible to read without enthusiasm; even, in fact, there is something terrible, fatal, fantastic in this mysterious portrait, there is some kind of invincible charm that makes you forcefully look at it, although you are afraid of it. Add to this a multitude of humorous pictures and essays in the style of Mr. Gogol; remember the quarter warden, talking about painting; then this mother, who brought her daughter to Chertkovo in order to take a portrait of her, and who scolds balls and admires nature - and you will not deny the dignity of this story. But the second part of it is absolutely worthless; Mr. Gogol is not at all visible in it. This is an obvious attachment in which the mind worked, and fantasy did not take any part. [V.G. Belinsky. A look at Russian literature. M., Sovremennik, 1988].

After the scandal connected with the premiere of The Inspector General, Gogol leaves Russia for Italy. He lives in Rome, surrounded by great works of art from different times and contemporary Russian artists who, having graduated from the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts with a medal, lived and worked here. In the circle of Russian artists, Gogol was especially attracted by Alexander Ivanov, who painted the painting "The Appearance of Christ to the People."

Criticism of V.G. Belinsky and the painstaking work of A. Ivanov prompted Gogol to reconsider his attitude to the story "Portrait" and remake it. By 1841, work on correcting the story was completed. The surname of the protagonist has changed: earlier his name was Chertkov, which too openly emphasized the connection with evil spirit. Gogol excluded scenes of mystical, inexplicable appearances of the portrait and its customers from the story. The syllable of the story was clarified, the characteristics were expanded and described in more detail. secondary characters: Nikita, professor, owner of the house, quarterly, ladies-customers of portraits. In the first edition, the appearance of the usurer at the end of the story disappeared from the canvas. In the second edition, the portrait disappears, which again went to wander the world.

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Gogol wrote the story "Portrait" in 1835; in 1842 he partly reworked it. Such a work - revised, but retaining the old plot and stylistic basis - is usually called an editorial in the science of literature. Opening modern reprints of Gogol's prose, we usually read the second edition of the Portrait, that is, the 1842 version; and we will analyze it.

So, who is the hero of this story? Artist Chartkov? Demonic pawnbroker? Or, perhaps, the fantastic city of Petersburg itself, in which the action takes place, is the hero here? Let's try to figure it out.

Judging by the external outline of events, according to the plot of the work, the artist Andrey Petrovich Chartkov, his fate, his downfall, is undoubtedly in the center of the story. The very name of the hero hints in advance that he is in the power of evil spells, fraught with devilry. And this is by no means contradicted by the fact that at the beginning of the story Chartkov is depicted with undisguised authorial sympathy, his gift is undoubted, his sincerity is obvious.

Moreover, remember exactly how Evil, which the Usurer personifies, first invades Chartkov's life? The artist buys for the last two kopecks in an art shop in Shchukin Dvor vintage portrait"in large, once magnificent frames"; the portrait depicts "an old man with a bronze-colored face, cheeky, stunted", but endowed with "not northern strength." So, the artist gives the money needed for subsistence for a work of art. He does nothing wrong; he is faithful to art; his previous life is blameless and deeply moral. Ho from the second part of the story, we learn that all the owners of the ill-fated painting became its victims. So, having bought it, the artist is doomed to share their fate. Chartkov's only "guilt" lies only in the fact that he could not resist the devilish obsession, which approached him at a dangerous distance and sucked him in like a quagmire. Waking up in the morning after a repeated nightmare (an old usurer comes out of the portrait frames and counts his chervonets), Chartkov discovers a bundle with 1,000 chervonets. His soul seems to split in two: a true artist, who dreams of three years of calm and selfless work, and a twenty-year-old youth who loves to gossip and is prone to fashionable brilliance of colors are arguing in him. Worldly passion wins; the artist in him begins to die.

This is what usually happens in Gogol's picture of the world: a heavenly calling seems to attract demonic forces to itself; the power of gold, opposed to the power of creativity, encroaches on human soul, and in order to resist this power, one must have a special strength and a special, ascetic personality. Otherwise, evil will win; an artist who succumbs to everyday temptation will not only ruin his talent, but also turn into a servant dark forces. And that means - the enemy of art.

Chartkov's transition to a new quality is depicted as a betrayal, as a betrayal, a religious fall. Having moved to luxurious apartments on Nevsky Prospekt, he paints the first “fashionable” portrait in his life. After several sessions, moving further and further away from fidelity to the original, he transfers the embellished features of the young Lise, who has already known a passion for balls, to his old sketch. This sketch depicted the mythological heroine Psyche; Translated into Russian, Psyche means Soul. Thus, it turns out that the artist remakes and sells his Soul for the sake of success and money; he, as it were, puts it under a false image. Moreover, the name of his first model, Lise, reminds the reader of Karamzin's "Poor Lisa". And, as you well know, Karamzin's Liza served in Russian literature as a symbol of perishing naturalness.

Gradually, Chartkov becomes one of the "moving stone coffins with a dead man instead of a heart." He condemns Michelangelo, and here Gogol again uses the same technique. significant name. After all, Chartkov denies the work of the artist, in whose name the image of a shining angel is “encrypted”. And the reader is gradually imbued with the idea that Chartkov himself has turned into a fallen angel. Not without reason, after meeting with a former classmate at the Academy, who chose the opposite path in life and art, he spent many years in Italy, at home European painting, and created a great final picture, Chartkov is desperately trying to create a portrait Fallen Angel. That is, a portrait of his soul, the fallen Psyche. But even his technique was lost - having become an enemy of harmony, he simply forgot how to draw ...

But his own face becomes a portrait, in an artistic way his fall, evidence of the loss of the soul. "Blame on the world" sounds in the features of his face; from a creator endowed with a heavenly gift, he turns into a satanic destroyer of masterpieces: all the gold received as if in exchange for the sold talent, Chartkov spends on buying greatest creations European genius - and destroys them, as he destroyed and disfigured himself ...

Does this mean that evil is omnipotent? That it is impossible to resist him, since the world is arranged in such a way that the purest and brightest, that is, art, attracts, draws to itself the darkest, the most evil? No, it doesn't. Although the world, as Gogol depicts it, is really distorted and arranged unfairly; buying terrible picture, Chartkov must inevitably go astray. Evil is indelible. However, it is not omnipotent. It is impossible to escape the temptation, but the finale, the denouement of the drama may be completely different; here Gogol's heroes are free in their choice. The story about the fate of Chartkov is shaded by the story of the artist who created during the time of Catherine Great portrait Moneylender; it is told in the second part by the portrait painter's son. He lived in the same place where Chartkov later lived - on the outskirts of St. Petersburg; both knew what envy was (Chartkov - to a fellow student at the Academy, a portrait painter - to his own student, who received an order to paint a rich church); both stumbled, fell into dependence on the devil's spell. But the portrait painter finds the only possible way out of the situation, the only reliable shelter from evil - the monastery. Here he creates the painting "The Nativity of Jesus". The personal fate of the portrait painter, his soul saved. Despite the fact that evil as such cannot be defeated: at the end of the story, everyone notices that the mysterious Portrait has disappeared and, therefore, the temptation embodied in it will continue its terrible procession around the world.

Thus, judging by the external outline of events, Chartkov turns out to be the main character of the story. But if we talk about the role that the characters play in building the story as a whole, then the center of the author's attention is undoubtedly the Usurer. The fabulously wealthy lender lived in the era of Catherine the Great, that is, long before the birth of Chartkov; his reviving image, the diabolical Portrait, retains its monstrous power even after the death of the painter.

Who is this usurer? No one knows where the "Asian" with an incomprehensibly terrible complexion came from; it is not known exactly whether he was Indian, Greek or Persian. The money he borrowed seemed to be favorable conditions, had the ability to rise to exorbitant percentages; in addition, the Usurer offered clients some secret conditions, from which the hair of the debtors "rose on end." Anyone who borrowed from him, even for good purposes, ended badly.

An attentive reader of Gogol knows that the theme of the Antichrist constantly resounds in his works. Sometimes seriously and mystically, as in early stories, especially in "Terrible Revenge", sometimes derisively, as in " Dead souls". Gogol's ideas about the Antichrist are akin to some popular beliefs: this enemy of Christ cannot come into the world until the end of time, when the laws of nature created by God finally weaken. But for the time being, the Antichrist can be incarnated, as it were, in part, in individual people, trying his hand and preparing for the last battle for earthly history. Here the Usurer is such a "trial" incarnation of the Antichrist. Not without reason in the first edition of the story "Portrait" the Usurer bore the name of Petromikhali: Peter the Great called himself Peter Mikhailov, whom folk beliefs identified with the Antichrist ... He is not yet omnipotent, and therefore seeks to prolong his earthly days and continue his dirty work after death - with the help of great art.

Three themes are inextricably linked with the image of the Usurer, which were of particular concern to Gogol while working on the cycle “ Petersburg stories»: incomprehensible, secret power of gold over human soul; art, which is intended to be a "hint of the divine", but can also become a tool of evil; the desire of diabolical forces at the cost of gold to subjugate art. Ho all these topics condense into one key image, rising both from the pages of the "Portrait" and from the pages of other St. Petersburg stories. This is an image of a double, majestic and dangerous, rich and poor, deceptive and beautiful city of St. Petersburg. And from the point of view of the idea of ​​the "Petersburg stories", from the point of view of the cycle as an artistic whole, Petersburg itself should be considered the main character of the "Portrait".

Only here, in this fantastic city, on the gloomy outskirts of Kolomna, the fabulous luxury of the Usurer can bloom in a false color; only here can the transition from the conscientious poverty of creativity into the dead luxury of the salon, the transfer from Vasilevsky Island to Nevsky Prospekt, take place instantly; only here demonic portraits come to life at night, real chervonets fall out from behind the frame, and dangerous portraits suddenly disappear from the auction... Petersburg in the image of Gogol is similar to the negative of another great and at the same time bright city, Rome; it is from there, from the Italian South to the cold and gloomy North, that Chartkov's former classmate returns with his final painting; just before his son's departure to Italy, the gray-haired, "almost divine old man", the author of the ill-fated Portrait, bequeathed to find the painting and "destroy" it. And with it - and evil.

Gogol's story "Portrait" is a work written by him under the impression of life in St. Petersburg. The gloomy northern city inspired the writer to create outstanding creations, many of which continue to amaze contemporary readers. IN mystical history about the diabolical image of the old usurer concluded deep meaning. Unfortunately, this article will only present its summary. "Portrait" (Gogol named this work in honor of the unusual object appearing in the story) is striking in its bewitching plot. Only the main points of its development will be given below.

Buying a portrait

This exciting story begins with the purchase of an old canvas. Cannot convey all its nuances summary. "Portrait" (Gogol N.V.) tells the story of a young artist Chertkov, who, unexpectedly for himself, acquires the work of an unknown painter in a shop. It depicts an old man dressed in an Asian outfit, with a bronzed face from sunburn and unusually lively eyes. The young man lives very poorly, always owes for an apartment, but does not strive for easy earnings, but wants to reveal his talent through hard and painstaking work. However, a strange portrait disturbs his soul, all night young artist he sees nightmares: he sees a terrible old man leaving the frame and counting gold coins before his eyes.

New life

Gogol's story "Portrait" is mystical in nature. In the morning, the young man unexpectedly discovers a bundle of gold coins, after which he returns all debts, moves from Vasilevsky Island to Nevsky Prospekt and begins new life. At first he wants to devote himself entirely to art, but, carried away by all sorts of temptations, he quickly forgets about it. Chertkov acquires fashionable outfits, orders an article about himself in the newspaper and finds wealthy customers. They do not understand anything in creativity, but they pay generously, so the young man begins to draw beautiful trinkets and quickly grows rich.

Retribution for apostasy

N. V. Gogol narrates about the inevitable retribution for abandoning one's destiny. "Portrait" is the story of a man who betrayed high art. Having become rich, Chertkov quickly loses his former youthful vivacity. He becomes a fashionable painter, gains weight in society, but at the same time he finally loses his talent. One day, the Academy of Arts invites him to evaluate the work of a painter who trained in Italy for many years. Seeing this work, Chertkov is amazed at its harmony and perfection. He returns home and tries to write something similar himself. However, the hardened hand no longer obeys the artist, and he soon becomes convinced that his talent has dried up. Then Chertkov is seized by insane envy and malice. He devotes the rest of his life to buying up all the outstanding canvases at auctions and destroying them mercilessly. The artist dies in a fit of yet another madness, and in his deathbed delirium the living eyes of a mysterious old man seem to him everywhere.

usurer

Now you know what the first part of your story is about. About the fate of the insane artist tells her summary. "Portrait" (Gogol N. V. knows how to capture the reader) has a second part. It describes the history of the creation of a mysterious image.

A portrait of an old man is being auctioned off. Buyers argue over the price for a long time, and only two rich applicants remain in the final. unexpectedly modest dressed man thirty-five years old interrupts the auction and begins to talk about the history of this portrait. Many years ago, a strange usurer lived in Kolomna (a suburb of St. Petersburg). He had an outstanding appearance: tall, bronze skin color and sharp features. In addition, he was unusually rich and lent money to the most famous residents of the capital. However, his gold did not bring happiness to anyone. A young man who aspired to devote himself to the service of society, after joint affairs with a usurer, turned into an inhuman official. A young man passionately in love, having taken a loan from a strange old man, became insanely jealous and nearly killed his wife. The inhabitants of Kolomna were afraid of the usurer and never took a loan from him...

great artist

Was an avid fan visual arts N. V. Gogol. "Portrait" is the fruit of the writer's reflections on the role of creativity in the life of every person. Further in the work we are talking about a simple and honest painter who, with his hard work and outstanding talent, managed to achieve the recognition of others. Once a moneylender approached him with a request to paint his portrait. The artist gladly responded to this proposal, but while working on the canvas he felt a strong disgust for what was happening. He tried to stop, then the old man fell on his knees in front of him and revealed his secret: he is preparing for death and wants his essence to be embodied in a portrait. The artist leaves the usurer's house in horror, and the next day he learns that he has died. The image of the old man has since been kept in the painter's house.

Devil's instigation

Amazing events are described in the work. About evil influence mystical image on others, its summary narrates. "Portrait" (Gogol created this story in two editions) tells that everyone who kept it tightly was subjected to devilish temptations. The honest artist suddenly became jealous of his student and tried to beat him in the competition for the design of a new church. Only by a long monastic service did he then manage to atone for his guilt before God and create a truly great work - the painting "The Nativity of Jesus." The other owners of the portrait also experienced the power of its negative impact. At the end of the story, the repentant artist bequeathed to his son to find the image of the usurer and destroy it. The descendant of the great painter was the narrator of this exciting story. The listeners, carried away by his narration, did not notice how the object of desperate bargaining disappeared from the wall. This ends the story written by N.V. Gogol. Portrait mysteriously disappeared, possibly stolen.

Heroes of the story

So who can be called the main character of the story written by Gogol ("Portrait")? The plot of the work allows you to appoint the artist Chertkov to this role. Indeed, at the center of the narrative is the story of his apostasy and moral collapse. But regarding the role played by the characters in the construction of the work as a whole, its main character is a usurer. It's about striving devilish power Gogol reflects in his story to subjugate art with the help of gold. "Portrait", the meaning of which is enclosed by the author in a bright and expressive form, tells about the secret power of money over the human soul, and about high creativity, capable of becoming an instrument of evil in vicious hands.

And, of course, we must not forget about the role of the city of St. Petersburg in the work. Only here, according to Gogol, ancient canvases come to life, demonic usurers weave their nets, and dangerous portraits suddenly disappear. The tempting and majestic, poor and rich, beautiful and deceptive city of Petersburg can also be considered a full-fledged hero of the story.

Introduction

Talent is the most precious gift of God - do not destroy it ... The true purpose of talent is to serve good. N.V. Gogol

The art of painting and the fate of the artist attracted the attention of N.V. Gogol throughout his entire work, they become the subject of reflection in his works. Interest in the topic was caused, on the one hand, by the writer's passion for drawing, and on the other hand, by his personal acquaintance and friendship with modern Russian painters.

Gogol's view of painting and the fate of the artist is presented in the writer's letters, in the articles of the 1830s - 1840s: "Sculpture, Painting and Music" (1831), "The Last Day of Pompeii" (1834) and " history painter Ivanov" (1846), as well as in the stories "Nevsky Prospekt" (1835), "Portrait" (1835) and "Portrait" (1842 - the second edition of the story), in which the artist becomes the main character. To the complex plot motifs These stories include the history of a masterpiece, the hero's meeting with a mysterious canvas, the revival of a portrait, finding inspiration, conspiracy with evil spirits, etc. Among them, the motive of the artist's temptation, which became the key to Gogol's story "Portrait", stands out. Temptation in this story appears as a special state creative personality, which is under the influence external forces changes its aesthetic orientation. The test to which the artist's talent is subjected arises from the passion for external comfort, fame, wealth.

The object of this study is the story of N.V. Gogol's "Portrait", the subject is the motive of temptation in the story "Portrait".

The purpose of the work is to analyze the plot and composition of the story "Portrait". To achieve this goal, it is necessary to perform the following tasks:

The study of the history of writing the story "Portrait",

The study of the works of literary critics on this issue,

The study of the plot and compositional features of the work,

Analysis of the works that served as the source of the story.

The story "Portrait" in the studies of Russian literary critics

The history of the creation of the story "Portrait" by N.V. Gogol

The story of N.V. Gogol's "Portrait" was first published in the collection "Arabesques" in 1835. After the success of Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka, N.V. Gogol collected articles on art (“Painting, Sculpture and Music”, “A Few Words about Pushkin”, “On the Architecture of the Present Time”), lectures and articles on history and reflections on historical figures and published them together with the story “Portrait”, writing in the preface: “I confess that I might not have admitted some plays to this collection at all if I had published it a year earlier, when I was more strict with my old works. But, instead of sternly judging the past, it is much better to be inexorable to your current pursuits. To destroy what we have written before seems to be as unfair as to forget the bygone days of your youth. Moreover, if an essay contains two or three truths that have not yet been said, then the author has no right to hide it from the reader, and for two or three correct thoughts one can forgive the imperfection of the whole.

Probably, Gogol's mentoring tone, his desire to teach and careful attention to his own personality are already caught in the preface. However, the success of the “Queen of Spades” by A.S. Pushkin, perhaps, prompted Gogol to tell a story about a man who was ruined by a thirst for gold. After all, the "Portrait" was written precisely in 1834, when Pushkin's stories were widely discussed. Gogol considers the life of a contemporary artist against the backdrop of history and art. This feature of the story "Portrait" is very important in order to understand how the writer shares the vanity and eternity, how he seeks the true meaning of human life and determines the true meaning and purpose of art.

After the release of "Arabesques" one of the most significant critics of that time, 30-40s of the nineteenth century, V.G. Belinsky disapproved of the story "Portrait": "The portrait is an unsuccessful attempt by Mr. Gogol in a fantastic way. Here his talent falls, but even in the fall he remains a talent. The first part of this story is impossible to read without enthusiasm; even, in fact, there is something terrible, fatal, fantastic in this mysterious portrait, there is some kind of invincible charm that makes you forcefully look at it, although you are afraid of it. Add to this a multitude of humorous pictures and essays in the style of Mr. Gogol; remember the quarter warden, talking about painting; then this mother, who brought her daughter to Chertkovo in order to take a portrait of her, and who scolds balls and admires nature - and you will not deny the dignity of this story. But the second part of it is absolutely worthless; Mr. Gogol is not at all visible in it. This is an obvious attachment in which the mind worked, and fantasy did not take any part. [V.G. Belinsky. A look at Russian literature. M., Sovremennik, 1988].

After the scandal connected with the premiere of The Inspector General, Gogol leaves Russia for Italy. He lives in Rome, surrounded by great works of art from different times and contemporary Russian artists who, having graduated from the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts with a medal, lived and worked here. In the circle of Russian artists, Gogol was especially attracted by Alexander Ivanov, who painted the painting "The Appearance of Christ to the People."

Criticism of V.G. Belinsky and the painstaking work of A. Ivanov prompted Gogol to reconsider his attitude to the story "Portrait" and remake it. By 1841, work on correcting the story was completed. The surname of the protagonist has changed: earlier his name was Chertkov, which too openly emphasized the connection with evil spirits. Gogol excluded scenes of mystical, inexplicable appearances of the portrait and its customers from the story. The syllable of the story became clearer, the characteristics of the minor characters were expanded and described in more detail: Nikita, the professor, the owner of the house, the quarter, ladies who ordered the portraits. In the first edition, the appearance of the usurer at the end of the story disappeared from the canvas. In the second edition, the portrait disappears, which again went to wander the world.