Analysis of Gogol's story "Portrait", a creative study of the mission of art. Analysis of Gogol's work "Portrait". Service to art or wealth

09.04.2019

“Portrait” of Gogol N.V.

Gogol wrote the story "Portrait" in 1835; in 1842 he partially reworked it. Such a work - revised, but preserving the same plot and stylistic basis - in the science of literature is usually called an edition. When opening modern reprints of Gogol’s prose, you and I usually read the second edition of “Portrait,” that is, the 1842 version; We will analyze it.

So, who should be considered the hero of this story? The artist Chartkov? Demonic loan shark? Or perhaps the hero here is the fantastic city of St. Petersburg itself, in which the action takes place? Let's try to figure it out.

Judging by the external outline of events, by the plot of the work, then at the center of the story, undoubtedly, is the artist Andrei Petrovich Chartkov, his fate, his downfall. The very name of the hero hints in advance that he is under the power of evil spells fraught with devilry. And this is not at all 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 uses his last two kopecks to buy an old portrait “in large, once magnificent frames” in an art shop on Shchukin Yard; the portrait depicts “an old man with a bronze-colored face, cheekbones, stunted,” but endowed with “non-northern strength.” So, the artist gives the money needed for food for a work of art. He does nothing wrong; he is faithful to art; his previous life is blameless and deeply moral. But from the second part of the story we learn that all the owners of the ill-fated painting became its victims. This means that having bought it, the artist is doomed to share their fate. Chartkov’s only “fault” lies only in the fact that he was unable to resist the devilish obsession, which approached him at a dangerous distance and sucked him into himself like a quagmire. Waking up in the morning after a repeated nightmare (an old moneylender emerges from the frame of a portrait, counting his chervonets), Chartkov discovers a bundle with 1000 chervonets. His soul seems to split into two: they are arguing within him. true artist, dreaming of three years of calm and selfless work, and a twenty-year-old youth who loves to party and is prone to fashionable flamboyance of colors. Worldly passion wins; the artist in him begins to die.

In Gogol’s picture of the world, this is what usually happens: a heavenly calling seems to attract demonic forces; the power of gold, opposing the power of creativity, encroaches on human soul, and in order to resist this power, you need to 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 will also turn into a servant dark forces. This means he is an enemy of art.

Chartkov's transition to a new quality is depicted as a betrayal, a betrayal, a religious fall. Having moved to luxury apartments on Nevsky Prospekt, he painted 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 young Lise, who has already experienced a passion for balls, onto 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 seems to be placing it under a false image. Moreover, the name of his first model, Lise, reminds the reader of Karamzin’s “Poor Liza.” 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 gradually becomes imbued with the idea that Chartkov himself has turned into a fallen angel. No wonder, after meeting with a former classmate at the Academy, who chose the opposite path in life and art, he spent long years in Italy, at home European painting, and created a great final picture, Chartkov is desperately trying to create a portrait of the Fallen Angel. That is, a portrait of his soul, the fallen Psyche. But he even lost technique - having become an enemy of harmony, he simply forgot how to draw...

But his own face becomes a portrait, artistically his fall, evidence of the loss of his soul. “Blasphemy against 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: Chartkov spends all the gold received, as if in exchange for sold talent, on buying up the greatest creations of European genius - and destroys them, just as he destroyed and disfigured himself...

Does this mean that evil is omnipotent? That it is impossible to resist it, since the world is structured in such a way that the purest and brightest, that is, art, attracts, attracts to itself the darkest, the most evil? No, that doesn't mean it. Although the world, as Gogol portrays it, is indeed distorted and unfairly arranged; Having bought a terrible picture, Chartkov must inevitably go astray. Evil is irremovable. However, it is not omnipotent. It is impossible to avoid 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 a portrait of the Moneylender during the time of Catherine the Great; it is told in the second part by the son of the portrait painter. He lived in the same place where Chartkov later lived - on the outskirts of St. Petersburg; both knew what envy was (Chartkov - towards a fellow student at the Academy, the portrait painter - towards his own student, who received an order to paint a rich church); both stumbled and became dependent on the devil's spell. But the portrait painter finds the only possible way out of this situation, the only reliable shelter from evil - a monastery. Here he creates the painting “The Nativity of Jesus”. The personal fate of the portrait painter, his soul, was 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 march through the world.

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

Who is he, this Moneylender? No one knows where the “Asian” with the incomprehensibly terrible complexion came from; It is not known exactly whether he was Indian, Greek or Persian. The money he lent, it would seem, favorable conditions, had the ability to rise to exorbitant percentages; in addition, the Moneylender offered clients certain secret conditions that made the hair of the debtors “stand on end.” Anyone who borrowed from him, even for good purposes, ended badly.

An attentive reader of Gogol knows: the theme of the Antichrist constantly sounds in his works. Sometimes seriously and mystically, as in the early stories, especially in “Terrible Revenge,” sometimes mockingly, 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 are finally weakened. But for the time being, the Antichrist can be embodied, as it were, partially, in individual people, testing his strength and preparing for the last battle for earthly history. The Moneylender is such a “trial” incarnation of the Antichrist. It is not for nothing that in the first edition of the story “Portrait” the Moneylender bore the name Petromikhali: Peter the Great called himself Peter Mikhailov, whom folk beliefs identified with the Antichrist... He is not yet omnipotent, and therefore seeks to extend 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 Moneylender, which especially worried Gogol while working on the cycle of “Petersburg stories”: the incomprehensible, secret power of gold over human soul; art, which is intended to be a “hint of the divine,” but can also become an instrument of evil; the desire of devilish forces to subjugate art at the price of gold. But all these topics are condensed into one key image, emerging both from the pages of “Portrait” and from the pages of other St. Petersburg stories. This is an image of the dual, majestic and dangerous, rich and poor, deceptive and beautiful city of St. Petersburg. And from the point of view of the concept of the “Petersburg stories”, from the point of view of the cycle as an artistic whole, the main character of “Portrait” should be considered Petersburg itself.

Only here, in this fantastic city, on the gloomy outskirts of Kolomna, can the fabulous luxury of the Moneylender bloom in false color; only here can an instantaneous transition be made from the conscientious poverty of creativity to the deadened luxury of the salon, the transfer from Vasilyevsky Island to Nevsky Prospekt; only here at night demonic portraits come to life, real ducats fall out from behind the frame, and dangerous portraits suddenly disappear from auction... St. Petersburg in Gogol’s image 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 picture; It was precisely before his son’s departure to Italy that 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 comes evil.

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

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

Tale by 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 along with the story “Portrait”, writing in the preface: “I confess that I might not have allowed some plays into this collection at all if I had published it a year earlier, when I was more strict with my old works. But, instead of harshly judging the past, it is much better to be unforgiving in your present activities. To destroy what we have previously written seems 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 no longer has the right to hide it from the reader, and for two or three correct thoughts one can forgive the imperfection of the whole.”

Probably, already in the preface, Gogol’s mentoring tone, his desire to teach and careful attention to his own personality are captured. However, the success of “The Queen of Spades” by A.S. Pushkin may have prompted Gogol to tell the story of a man who was destroyed by a thirst for gold. After all, “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 separates vanity and eternity, how he searches for 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, the 30-40s of the 19th century, V.G. Belinsky disapproved of the story “Portrait”: “There is a portrait unsuccessful attempt Mr. Gogol in a fantastic way. Here his talent declines, but even in his decline he remains a talent. The first part of this story is impossible to read without fascination; in fact, there is something terrible, fatal, fantastic in this mysterious portrait, there is some kind of invincible charm that makes you forcibly look at it, although it is scary for you. Add to this many humorous paintings and essays in the taste of Mr. Gogol; remember the quarterly overseer talking about painting; then this mother, who brought her daughter to Chertkov to have her portrait taken, 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 visible in it at all. This is an obvious addition in which the mind worked, and imagination did not take any part.” [V.G. Belinsky. A look at Russian literature. M., Sovremennik, 1988].

After the scandal associated with the premiere of The Government Inspector, 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. Among Russian artists, Gogol was especially attracted to Alexander Ivanov, who painted the painting “The Appearance of Christ to the People.”

Criticism 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 main character has changed: previously his name was Chertkov, which too openly emphasized the connection with evil spirits. Gogol excluded from the story scenes of mystical, inexplicable appearances of the portrait and its customers. The style of the story was clarified, the characteristics were expanded and described in more detail minor characters: Nikita, professor, owner of the house, police officer, ladies who ordered portraits. In the first edition, the image of the moneylender at the end of the story disappeared from the canvas. In the second edition, the portrait disappears, which again went to wander around the world.

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Gogol's story "Portrait" is a work he wrote under the impression of life in St. Petersburg. The gloomy northern city inspired the writer to create outstanding works, many of which continue to delight modern readers. IN mystical history There is a deep meaning about the devilish image of the old moneylender. Unfortunately, this article will only outline its summary. “Portrait” (Gogol named this work in honor of an unusual object appearing in the story) amazes with its fascinating plot. Only the main points of its development will be conveyed below.

Purchasing a portrait

This exciting story begins with the purchase of an antique canvas. A brief summary cannot convey all its nuances. “Portrait” (Gogol N.V.) tells about young artist Chertkov, who, unexpectedly for himself, acquires a work by an unknown painter in the shop. It depicts an old man dressed in Asian attire, with a bronzed face from tanning and unusually lively eyes. The young man lives very poorly, always owes rent, but does not strive for easy money, but wants to reveal his talent through persistent and painstaking work. However, a strange portrait disturbs his soul all night young artist sees nightmares: he imagines a scary old man leaving the frame and counting gold ducats 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 in his possession, after which he repays all his debts, moves from Vasilyevsky 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 buys fashionable clothes, orders an article about himself in a newspaper and finds rich customers. They know nothing about creativity, but they pay generously, so the young man begins to draw beautiful trinkets and quickly becomes rich.

Retribution for Apostasy

N.V. Gogol talks 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 completely 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 artist’s calloused hand no longer obeys him, and he soon becomes convinced that his talent has dried up. Then Chertkov is overcome by insane envy and anger. He devotes the rest of his life to buying up all outstanding paintings at auctions and mercilessly destroying them. The artist dies in another fit of madness, and in his dying delirium he sees the living eyes of a mysterious old man everywhere.

Moneylender

Now you know what the first part of your story is about. Its summary tells about the fate of the mad artist. “Portrait” (N.V. Gogol knows how to captivate the reader) also has a second part. It describes the history of the creation of the mysterious image.

A portrait of an old man is being sold at auction. Buyers argue for a long time about the price, and in the end there are only two rich contenders. Suddenly, a modestly dressed man of about thirty-five interrupts the auction and begins to talk about the history of this portrait. Many years ago in Kolomna (a suburb of St. Petersburg) there lived a strange moneylender. He had an outstanding appearance: tall, bronze skin color and sharp facial 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 strived to devote himself to serving society, after a joint deal with a moneylender, turned into an inhuman official. A young man passionately in love, having taken a loan from a strange old man, became insanely jealous and almost killed his wife. Residents of Kolomna were afraid of the moneylender and never borrowed 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 talk about a simple and honest painter who managed, through his hard work and outstanding talent, to achieve recognition from others. One day, a moneylender approached him with a request to paint his portrait. The artist happily 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 to his knees in front of him and revealed his secret: he was preparing for death and wanted his essence to be embodied in a portrait. The artist leaves the moneylender's house in horror, and the next day finds out 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. Its brief content tells about the vicious influence of the mystical image on others. “Portrait” (Gogol created this story in two editions) tells that everyone who kept it close to themselves was subjected to devilish temptations. The honest artist suddenly began to envy his student and tried to beat him in a design competition new church. Only through long monastic service was he able 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 its power negative impact. At the end of the story, the repentant artist bequeathed to his son to find the image of the moneylender and destroy it. The descendant of the great painter was the narrator of this exciting story. The listeners, captivated by his story, did not notice how the item of desperate bargaining disappeared from the wall. This ends the story written by N.V. Gogol. The portrait mysteriously disappeared and may have been stolen.

Heroes of the story

So who can be called the main character of the story that Gogol wrote (“Portrait”)? The plot of the work makes it possible to appoint the artist Chertkov to this role. After all, at the center of the story is the story of his apostasy and moral collapse. But regarding the role that the characters play in constructing the work as a whole, its main character is the moneylender. It is about the desire of the devilish force to subjugate art with the help of gold that Gogol reflects in his story. “Portrait”, the meaning of which is enclosed by the author in a bright and expressive form, tells both 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 paintings come to life, demonic moneylenders weave their networks and dangerous portraits suddenly disappear. Tempting and majestic, poor and rich, beautiful and deceptive, the city of Petersburg can also be considered a full-fledged hero of the story.

Moreover, remember exactly how Evil, which the Usurer personifies, first invades Chartkov’s life? The artist uses his last two kopecks to buy an old portrait “in large, once magnificent frames” in an art shop on Shchukin Yard; the portrait depicts “an old man with a bronze-colored face, cheekbones, stunted,” but endowed with “non-northern strength.” So, the artist gives the money needed for food for a work of art. He does nothing wrong; he is faithful to art; his previous life is blameless and deeply moral. But from the second part of the story we learn that all the owners of the ill-fated painting became its victims. This means that having bought it, the artist is doomed to share their fate. Chartkov’s only “fault” lies only in the fact that he was unable to resist the devilish obsession, which approached him at a dangerous distance and sucked him into himself like a quagmire. Waking up in the morning after a repeated nightmare (an old moneylender emerges from the frame of a portrait, counting his chervonets), Chartkov discovers a bundle with 1000 chervonets. His soul seems to be split into two: a true artist, dreaming of three years of calm and selfless work, and a twenty-year-old youth, who loves to party and is prone to fashionable flamboyance of colors, are arguing in him. Worldly passion wins; the artist in him begins to die.

In Gogol’s picture of the world, this is what usually happens: a heavenly calling seems to attract demonic forces; the power of gold, opposing the power of creativity, encroaches on the human soul, and in order to resist this power, you need to 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 will also turn into a servant of dark forces. This means he is an enemy of art.

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 of a 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 gradually becomes imbued with the idea that Chartkov himself has turned into a fallen angel. It is not for nothing that, after meeting with a former classmate at the Academy, who chose the opposite path in life and art, spent many years in Italy, the birthplace of European painting, and created a great final painting, Chartkov is desperately trying to create a portrait of the Fallen Angel. That is, a portrait of his soul, the fallen Psyche. But he even lost technique - having become an enemy of harmony, he simply forgot how to draw...

But his own face becomes a portrait, an artistic image of his fall, evidence of the loss of his soul. “Blasphemy against 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: Chartkov spends all the gold received as if in exchange for sold talent on buying up the greatest creations of European genius - and destroys them, just as he destroyed and disfigured himself...

Does this mean that evil is omnipotent? That it is impossible to resist it, since the world is structured in such a way that the purest and brightest, that is, art, attracts, attracts to itself the darkest, the most evil? No, that doesn't mean it. Although the world, as Gogol portrays it, is indeed distorted and unfairly arranged; Having bought a terrible picture, Chartkov must inevitably go astray. Evil is irremovable. However, it is not omnipotent. It is impossible to avoid 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 a portrait of the Moneylender during the time of Catherine the Great; it is told in the second part by the son of the portrait painter. He lived in the same place where Chartkov later lived - on the outskirts of St. Petersburg; both knew what envy was (Chartkov - towards a fellow student at the Academy, the portrait painter - towards his own student, who received an order to paint a rich church); both stumbled and became dependent on the devil's spell. But the portrait painter finds the only possible way out of this situation, the only reliable shelter from evil - a monastery. Here he creates the painting “The Nativity of Jesus”. The personal fate of the portrait painter, his soul, is 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 march through the world.

Who is he, this Moneylender? No one knows where the “Asian” with the incomprehensibly terrible complexion came from; It is not known exactly whether he was Indian, Greek or Persian. The money he lent, seemingly on favorable terms, had the ability to rise to exorbitant interest rates; in addition, the Moneylender offered clients certain secret conditions that made the hair of the debtors “stand on end.” Anyone who borrowed from him, even for good purposes, ended badly.

An attentive reader of Gogol knows: the theme of the Antichrist constantly sounds in his works. Sometimes seriously and mystically, as in the early stories, especially in “Terrible Revenge,” sometimes mockingly, 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 are finally weakened. But for the time being, the Antichrist can be embodied, as it were, partially, in individual people, testing his strength and preparing for the last battle for earthly history. The Moneylender is such a “trial” incarnation of the Antichrist. It is not for nothing that in the first edition of the story “Portrait” the Moneylender bore the name Petromikhali: Peter the Great called himself Peter Mikhailov, whom popular beliefs identified with the Antichrist... He is not yet omnipotent, and therefore seeks to extend his earthly days and continue his menial work after death - with with the help of great art.

The image of the Moneylender is inextricably linked with three themes that especially worried Gogol while working on the cycle of “Petersburg stories”: the incomprehensible, secret power of gold over the human soul; art, which is intended to be a “hint of the divine,” but can also become an instrument of evil; the desire of devilish forces to subjugate art at the price of gold. But all these themes are condensed into one key image, emerging both from the pages of “Portrait” and from the pages of other St. Petersburg stories. This is an image of the dual, majestic and dangerous, rich and poor, deceptive and beautiful city of St. Petersburg. And from the point of view of the concept of the “Petersburg stories”, from the point of view of the cycle as an artistic whole, the main character of “Portrait” should be considered Petersburg itself.

Only here, in this fantastic city, on the gloomy outskirts of Kolomna, can the fabulous luxury of the Moneylender bloom in false color; only here can an instantaneous transition be made from the conscientious poverty of creativity to the deadened luxury of the salon, the transfer from Vasilyevsky Island to Nevsky Prospekt; only here at night demonic portraits come to life, real chervonets fall out of the frame, and dangerous portraits suddenly disappear from auction... St. Petersburg in Gogol’s image 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 picture; It was precisely before his son’s departure to Italy that 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 comes evil.

The story “Portrait” by Gogol (Part 2), a summary of which is given in this article, is included in the cycle “Petersburg Tales”. It was written in 1833-1843. It was first published in the book "Arabesques", which was published in 1835. Over time, the author revised the text; the current version of the work has been known since 1842.

The story "Portrait"

Gogol's story "Portrait" (Part 2), a summary of which you are now reading, consists of two parts. Before moving on to the second, you need to at least briefly familiarize yourself with what was in the first.

The work begins with a description of the life of a poor artist named Chartkov. At the very beginning of Gogol’s story “Portrait” (a brief summary in parts gives an idea of the plot), the main character acquires the image of an old Asian unknown to him. At the same time, this picture turns out to be unfinished. The author carefully wrote out only the eyes that look as if they were alive. Everything else is depicted as schematically as possible.

From the story “Portrait,” a summary of which you will find in this article, it becomes clear that Chartkov spent his last money on this painting. She captivated him so much that he couldn't tear himself away. Together with her, he returns to his poor apartment and learns that while he was away, the owner came again, demanding money for housing.

Chartkov is burdened by poverty. He is sure that life is treating him unfairly because, despite his talent, he cannot get out of poverty. He goes to bed upset and hungry.

Portrait at night

Mysterious and even mystical events in the story “Portrait” by Gogol, a summary of which you are now reading in parts, begin to occur on the very first night. The picture hangs on the wall, and when it falls Moonlight, the eyes begin to look frighteningly and piercingly. Suddenly the old man on the canvas begins to move, rests against the frame and jumps out to Chartkov’s bed.

From the folds of his robe he takes out money; on each piece of paper there is the inscription “1000 red notes.” In the story “Portrait” by Gogol, a brief summary of which is given in parts in this article, the artist looks at them with greed and lust. The old man counts them and puts them in a bag, last moment one piece of paper falls out and rolls to the side. Chartkov quietly grabs her... And at that very moment he wakes up. At the same time, he remains with a strong feeling that this was not a dream, but that everything happened in reality.

How to get money?

This question torments the artist constantly, and especially this morning. He dreams of becoming the owner of at least a small part of the money that he saw with the old man. In addition, the owner of the apartment appears again, and even with the quarterly, demanding money for accommodation.

While Chartkov is communicating with the owner, the policeman takes the portrait of an Asian man in his hand and inaccurately presses on the frame. At this moment, a package falls out of there. It contains a thousand ducats. In Gogol's story "Portrait", a summary of which you are now reading, it is described that Chartkov's happiness has no limits. He pays off his debts, rents a new home, advertises his artistic talent.

Soon he has rich customers, and life gets better. He paints each portrait diligently, putting his soul into it. But over time, there are so many orders that he begins to cut corners. Moreover, almost no one pays attention to this. The public idolizes him, although some critics notice that there is less talent in the artist’s works.

Everything changes when he sees the painting of his old friend. Gogol's story "Portrait", a summary of which you can find in this article, describes how amazed Chartkov was. This artist lived for several years in poverty and oblivion, but through hard work he managed to achieve true perfection. Main character understands that he will never be able to reach such a level again and begins to be extremely jealous. The years he spent making money killed the spark of talent in him.

From now on he envies all talented painters. From the story “Portrait” by N.V. Gogol, a summary of which you are now reading, we learn about his strange occupation. He buys all the worthy paintings he can find and cuts the canvases into pieces at home. Soon he goes crazy and dies in terrible agony.

Part two

In Gogol’s story “Portrait” (Part 2), a summary of which you are now reading, it is further described that the same portrait from Chartkov’s house was soon put up for auction. The old man's amazing eyes attracted buyers, and prices quickly rose. In the midst of the auction, a young man appeared who told everyone the story of this painting.

It turned out that his father lived near St. Petersburg. An Asian moneylender settled next door. Tall, scary and with a hard look. He built a huge house and began to issue loans to everyone at high interest rates. Moreover, the money borrowed from him soon brought misfortune. The generous became stingy, the kind became envious, quarrels and scandals began in families, and even murders occurred.

This artist's father painted paintings on religious themes. One day he decided to portray the devil; it seemed to him that it would be best to take this moneylender as a model. Surprisingly, the Asian himself soon appeared on the threshold of his house and asked to paint his portrait.

The moneylender began to pose for him. The father painted the picture, putting all his talent into it, but at the same time he only managed to paint the eyes of his customer. After that, he could not continue to work; it constantly seemed to him that the eyes came to life and were looking intently at him. Then the artist announced that he was refusing the order and did not need the money. The moneylender begged him to finish the job, but he was adamant. The next day the Asian died, bequeathing the work to the master.

The fate of the portrait

From Gogol's story "Portrait" (Part 2), a summary of which is given in this article, we learn that the artist hung the painting in his house. Soon he felt the demonic influence of those eyes. He began to envy his student, and the expression in the eyes of the saints for the icons began to acquire a devilish expression. Suspecting that the portrait of an Asian man was to blame for everything, he wanted to destroy it, but one of his friends begged the painting for himself.

As soon as the portrait was taken away, the father began to calm down, and its new owner began to feel the oppressive power of the painting. From now on, the painted face of the moneylender brought trouble to all its owners.

Before his death, the author of this picture bequeathed to his son, who also became an artist, the knowledge that creativity always contains some kind of devilish power, which must be avoided by any means. Finding himself under the influence of this force, he then painted the eyes of the moneylender. He bequeathed to his son to find the portrait and destroy it. This story amazed everyone so much that when everyone looked at the stage again, the portrait was no longer there. Either someone stole it or it disappeared mysteriously.

Creation of a story

Gogol was prompted to write this work by Pushkin’s “Queen of Spades,” which everyone was discussing in 1834. Contemporaries did not rate the work highly. After the failure of The Inspector General, the author went to Italy, where he revised the work.

He changed many of the dialogues and character names. The main character was now called Chartkov, not Chertkov. The ending also changed. If earlier the figure of the moneylender disappeared from the picture, now the portrait itself has disappeared.

Composition of the work

The story consists of two parts. In each of them, the main character is an artist. The writer demonstrates the fate of two talented painters who fall under the corrupting influence of the devilish eyes of a moneylender.

Each of the masters succumbs to temptation, which is based on envy of their more talented colleagues in the shop.

Characteristics of heroes

Speaking about the characters, it is worth noting that the young painter Chartkov at the beginning of his career strives to follow the truth of life. He tries not just to paint, but to transfer a person’s soul onto the canvas. But when there are many orders, he gradually turns into an ordinary artisan who cares only about quantity and not about quality.

As soon as he becomes rich, he begins to look down on young and aspiring painters. He is invited to teach at the Academy of Arts, but as soon as he sees a truly talented work, he realizes that he has ruined his talent.

The artist's father from the second part succumbs to a different kind of temptation. In the image of a moneylender, he is attracted by the opportunity to create a portrait of evil spirits. He perceives this as a challenge to his talent. At the same time, he feels that he is doing wrong, but professional interest takes over.

Analysis of the story "Portrait"

A summary and analysis of the story “Portrait” by Gogol were given above. It contrasts the fate of two talented artists.

It is worth noting that the author himself was at a creative crossroads while working on this work. From early romanticism he was increasingly inclined towards realism, but at the same time he had not yet fully comprehended the transition to this new direction.

In this story, Gogol tries to answer the question of whether art is capable of thoroughly depicting the reality of life. Is this necessary? Or the task of creativity is to paint reality exclusively artistic means? Indeed, in the second part of the story, it was precisely the attempt to get too close to reality that led to the fact that the eyes of the moneylender became the personification of the evil that broke into this world.

In the story “Portrait” by N.V. Gogol, the analysis and summary of which you have read, the writer claims that the author is obliged to bear responsibility for his creation.