Portrait of writer Count Leo Tolstoy Nikolay Ge (1831-1894)

Description of the painting "Portrait of Leo Tolstoy" by Nikolai Ge

Leo Tolstoy was an amazing man and aroused admiration and inspiration in his readers. Among the latter was the artist Nikolai Nikolaevich Ge. In 1884, Ge would paint a portrait of the writer in his home in Khamovniki. During the creative process, the writer and the artist would come together and find much in common regarding the moral image of society.

Much to the surprise, but this portrait was not received in the best way. Many people complained about the bad choice of angle - the writer’s head is down, and his face is not visible at all. However, Nikola Nikolaevich himself was pleased with the result of his work and noted that he had managed to capture the most important quality of Leo Tolstoy, namely the ability to persistent, diligent work. It is also worth noting the harmony of the creative process, because the writer did not like to pose. However, Ge built the work in complete unity with the ongoing work of Leo Tolstoy on the treatise "What is my faith? The master often came to visit the house of the Tolstoys, spent hours talking with the writer and, sometimes, just watching him.

On the portrait of the writer captured in the study, in a familiar working environment. Everything around is natural, simple. But thanks to the ordinariness and apparent unsophisticated, all the attention of the audience is directed to the writer. Ge has tried with all his might to reflect the power and genius of the writer’s mind, the deep and thoughtful process of his work. The philosopher and thinker bent over the manuscript and one can hear, it seems, the creaking of the pen, painstakingly writing immortal lines on paper.

The poverty of colors does not detract from the painterly quality of the portrait; the light pouring in from the side gently flows from cool to warm hues. Again, the neutrality of the background does not detract from the writer’s face, which is depicted in a new manner, unconventional for a psychological portrait of the time. Tolstoy’s gaze is not directed at the viewer, it is directed toward the article. The writer is immersed in the process head-on, oblivious to reality. In this dedication and total commitment Ge saw a special form of heroism. This is what he brings out and emphasizes in the first place. In the artist’s portrait, Leo Tolstoy is a great toiler and teacher of life.