Description of the appearance of the old artist in the story portrait. Chartkov's essay in the work Portrait (Image and Characteristics). The rise of an artist's career

The prose of Nikolai Gogol in Russian literature is on a par with the works of Pushkin, Turgenev and Tolstoy. His stories allow us to immerse ourselves in the life of the inhabitants Russian Empire, immerse yourself in its atmosphere, understand what questions the Russian intelligentsia of that time was trying to find answers to.

His story “Portrait” reveals to us not only the problems of society that the writer saw before himself, but also the human soul itself in all its ambiguity. The many-wise Litrecon offers you an analysis of the “Portrait” according to plan.

The history of writing the story “Portrait” is interesting facts from the life and work of Gogol, which are worthy of your attention:

1. The story “Portrait” became one of Gogol’s first creations. The idea for this piece came to him after living in St. Petersburg in the twenties. During this period, Gogol was unable to enter drama school, lived in poverty and was in great need of money. In this regard, he perceived the northern capital as a gloomy and cold city in which there is no place for warmth and kindness.
2. The very idea of ​​the work came to the writer’s mind in 1832, when that difficult period of his life was already far behind. Gogol began working on the story in 1833 and finished it a year later.
3. The first version of “Portrait” was not to the liking of critics, in particular V.G. Belinsky, so Gogol significantly revised the book and published a new version in the Sovremennik magazine in 1842. This is what we know as the main one.
4. As a prototype of the artist who painted fatal portrait, contemporaries guessed A.A. Ivanov, who worked on the religious painting “The Appearance of the Messiah.”

Genre and direction

The story "Portrait" refers to literary direction fantastic. The author strives for a reliable reflection of reality. Despite some fantastic assumptions, the characters themselves, their words and actions look authentic and organic. The reader can believe in the reality of the events described by Gogol.

The genre of the work “Portrait” can be defined as a fantasy story. The narrative covers a relatively short period of time, includes a small number of characters, while the narrative is filled with a large number of details and clarifications designed to emphasize the atmosphere. The plot is based on a fantastic assumption.

Composition and Conflict

The story “Portrait” is divided into two parts: the first tells about Chartkov, and the second about the history of the portrait he acquired.

The composition of each part of the story is classical and is divided into an exposition in which we are introduced to the main character, a beginning in which an ill-fated portrait appears in the story, a climax in which the hero’s conflict with himself reaches its apogee, a denouement in which the hero dies and a finale in which which everything storylines logically complete.

The conflict of the work is based on the confrontation between the individual and society and himself. The artist's painful choice between true art and recognition from the crowd.

Meaning of the name

The title of the story “Portrait” contains the name of the object that triggered all the events of the book, radically influencing the fate of the hero. Thus, Gogol immediately highlights the main detail in his work, which unites both parts around itself.

The name also carries hidden meaning. Gogol sought to give a portrait of society, to show all its vices to readers. Thus, the title contains the main idea of ​​the entire work.

The point: what is the story about?

The story “Portrait” tells us about the poor but extremely talented artist Chartkov. One day, in a shop in Shchukin's yard, he sees a portrait of an old man in Asian clothes. The painting fascinates Chartkov, and he buys it with his last money.

Returning home, the hero cannot get rid of an uneasy feeling. It seems to him that the portrait is watching him. At night, he has a dream about how the portrait comes to life, and the old man begins to count bundles of money.

In the morning they begin to demand payment from Chartkov for his wretched home. The hero has no money, but suddenly a bundle containing a thousand ducats is hidden in the frame of the portrait. The hero begins a bright streak in his life. He pays off his debts, buys new apartment, buys a laudatory article in the newspaper, and soon receives his first order.

The hero begins to work on a portrait of a rich girl, he tries to do his work efficiently, perfectly. But the customer demands something different, and as a result, Chartkov creates a beautiful, but soulless product. The initial confusion begins to dissipate after receiving the reward.

After some time, Chartkov becomes a famous painter: he earns a lot of money, is popular, but his paintings are soulless, and the fire of true creativity in him has died out. The hero turned into a skilled but limited artisan serving the rich.

But one day, after visiting an exhibition and seeing a painting of an angel created by his longtime acquaintance, who devoted his entire life to art, Chartkov realizes that his creations are terrible.

The hero works hard, trying to regain his lost talent, but turns out to be no longer able to create something truly beautiful. Chartkov becomes mentally damaged and begins to buy masterpieces of painting and destroy them.

As a result, the hero dies. After some time, the same portrait of an old man appears at an auction, and we learn that it depicts an old moneylender. The son of the author of the painting comes there and tells the story of his father. The artist decided to work with a moneylender who ruined and killed many people. But with each session he felt how the devilish power was growing stronger in this portrait. He began to quarrel with loved ones, get angry and experience negative feelings. Realizing the reason, he quit his job, despite the persuasion of the moneylender. He sent him the painting, but did not pay, and soon died. The artist wanted to destroy the portrait, but he was prevented by a friend who took away the canvas, saying, why should something good disappear? But all the owners of the painting encountered misfortunes and did not die a natural death.

The artist who created it went to a monastery and instructed his son to destroy the portrait, claiming that the devilish part of the old man’s soul remained in the portrait. The son of that same artist attends the auction, intending to fulfill his father's will, but the portrait mysteriously disappears.

The Many-Wise Litrekon wrote more about the plot of “Portrait” in.

The main characters and their characteristics

The system of images and characteristics of the heroes of “Portrait” are reflected by the Many-Wise Litrecon in the table:

The images of the characters in “Portrait” can be supplemented if you write in the comments what exactly is missing.

Topics

The theme of the story “Portrait” is close to everyone who has a relationship or interest in art:

1. Art- according to the writer, creative person, who has chosen the path of serving real art, takes on a heavy burden. A true creator becomes the owner enormous power art that can change human souls themselves. Often the creator himself never finds his happiness, but, for Gogol, it is worth it.
2. Craft– in the person of Chartkov, the author portrayed a typical artisan who works for money and popularity, and not to change the world. Such an artisan, who left real art for the sake of profit, may become rich and adored, but he will never be truly happy. He is doomed to disappointment and spiritual death. Gogol's view of art is dictated by his own biography: he never started a family, but devoted all his energy to the literary field.
3. The fate of the artist– Gogol shows that the creator has two paths: serving real art or pursuing profit. The writer undoubtedly chooses the path of a true artist, despite all the misfortunes that await a person along it.
4. Petersburg– as usual, St. Petersburg is depicted by Gogol as a gloomy and cold place where there is no place for pity and compassion, and people are subject to numerous vices.
5. Little man. Chartkov is not the owner, but the victim of the city. He is weak and dependent public opinion and even goes crazy at the end of the story. His path to his dream ended in complete disappointment, because false values they confused him and led him into a thicket, from which the hero was not destined to find a way out. Unlike a real creator, he could not overcome temptations.
6. Faith. Religion serves guiding star for the creator. She helps him cleanse his soul and brush for real masterpieces.

Problems

The issues in the story “Portrait” are no less significant for understanding the text:

• Good and evil– evil in the novel is personified by the portrait of an old moneylender. According to Gogol, the most terrible sin humanity is greed. It is greed that overcomes Chartkov, kills the good in him and ultimately leads him to such a tragic ending. As a result, the portrait disappears, Gogol makes it clear that the struggle between light and darkness is not over yet. We see goodness in the author of the portrait, who quelled the devilish temptations within himself and was able to cleanse himself of filth in the monastery, which is opposed to the sinful capital.
• Greed- according to the writer, money - main reason of all evil. Having chased money and succumbed to the temptations of the material world, a person will no longer be able to find a way back. He is doomed to slowly sink into the abyss.
• Vanity– Chartkov, having managed to achieve popularity and wealth, became proud, beginning to consider himself a real artist. However, the creative power of just one painting created by a real artist destroyed his illusions and showed him the baseness of his fall.
• Talent and its loss– Gogol showed that talent can be found and developed with great difficulty, but you only have to slip up once, and real talent will be lost forever.

What problems does Gogol pose in “Portrait”, besides those listed above? The many-wise Litrekon will supplement the section and answer this question, if necessary. Write to him in the comments.

main idea

The story “Portrait” shows us the society of the Russian Empire of the nineteenth century through the eyes of Gogol. The writer showed the depravity and soullessness of his contemporaries, the atmosphere of general decay that he felt while living in St. Petersburg. He contrasted it with the strength of the Orthodox faith and the purity of true art. This is the main idea of ​​the story “Portrait”.

The book is also Gogol’s reflection on what a real creator should be. The writer comes to the conclusion that serving art is a difficult path, but only by following this path can you truly change the world and immortalize your name. The meaning of the story “Portrait” is the need for moral purity for the artist, who is responsible for what he creates for people.

What does it teach?

The story “Portrait” teaches us to despise greed and stinginess. Tells us how important it is to think not only about the body, but also about the soul. These are moral lessons book and its author.

"Portrait" shows us the power of true art, which can have a profound impact on a person, and tells us the price an artist must pay to gain such power. The moral of the story “Portrait” testifies to the responsibility of the creator for what he leaves behind for posterity.

Criticism

Vissarion Grigorievich Belinsky did not rate “Portrait” very highly. He noted the humor and atmosphere of the work, but ultimately considered the story not outstanding and generally not original.

"Portrait" is unsuccessful attempt Mr. Gogol in a fantastic way. Here his talent declines, but even in his decline he remains a talent.

A reviewer from the journal Otechestvennye Zapiski shared the same opinion:

...probably, feeling its [the story “Portrait”] shortcomings, Gogol recently remade it completely. And what came out of this alteration? The first part of the story, with a few exceptions, has become incomparably better, precisely where it comes to depicting reality (one scene of the policeman talking about Chartkov’s paintings, in itself, taken separately, is already a brilliant sketch); but the rest of the story is unbearably bad and from the outside main idea and from the details side

However, the writer also found like-minded people. For example, S.P. Shevyrev:

“During my illness, I also read “Portrait,” which you revised. In it you revealed the connection between art and religion in a way that it has never been revealed anywhere else. You bring a lot of light into our science and prove to spite the Germans that creativity can be combined with a full consciousness of one’s work.” (letter from S.P. Shevyrev to N.V. Gogol, March 26, 1843)

Many years later, the famous journalist Korolenko saw in “Portrait” not only one of the first fantastic stories Gogol, but the key to understanding the writer’s soul and his tragedy, as a writer and a person.

“Portrait” is one of the St. Petersburg stories by the famous author N.V. Gogol. It describes the story of a young and talented artist. Chartkov made his choice in life, from which he later had to suffer.

Description of the hero

Andrei Petrovich Chartkov is a young impoverished nobleman. his age is twenty-two years old. He has only one servant under his command. Characteristics Chartkova is a promising artist. Art is of great interest to him and forms a large part of his life. The young artist has difficulty making ends meet - he does not even have money to buy a candle. He rents a stunted room on Vasilyevsky Island, but even paying for housing is a heavy burden for him, he has a large debt.

Chartkov looks poor, dresses poorly and does not care at all about his own appearance. But at the same time, the artist dreams of getting rich, living without denying himself anything. With the last money the UN buys itself a portrait of an old man. In the picture he looked alive. This is what struck Chartkov and forced him to give his last money for the unfinished drawing. This purchase became fatal for the hero.

The rise of an artist's career

Using the money he found, Chartkov advertises in a wealthy newspaper and acquires rich clients. But over time, he begins to get tired of painting identical portraits. His brush weakens, withers, his work can no longer be called a work of art. It would seem that, having wealth, Chartkov could become a real artist, developing his talent. But instead he forgets about his calling. In pursuit of earnings, Chartkov gives up his favorite business, turns into a stingy artisan, whose work has no soul, idea, or talent.

Attitude to finance

Chartkov's character is impatient and a little arrogant. He wanted wealth, and when the opportunity arose, he immediately began to live in grand style. For the sake of art, the artist is not ready to live in poverty. Having found money behind the frame of the purchased painting, Chartkov gradually completely forgets about art, wealth becomes his main goal. But such a life turns out to be not to the artist’s liking either. Having once seen a friend's picture, he realizes that he missed something very important in own life. Now he will never be able to become a real artist, although he tried to high hopes. Chartkov is overcome with envy. He buys good paintings in order to destroy them. Envy kills not only his talent, but also all his human qualities.

The story says that you cannot betray your ideal for the sake of money. Any life should be full of ideas. It was important for Gogol to show the reader that it is better to live in poverty, but with a spiritual purpose, than in wealth, but having an empty, meaningless life. Chartkov is an example of the fact that you cannot betray your goal for the sake of money. At the end the hero goes crazy and dies. But who knows what would have befallen the artist if wealth had not ruined his life.

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 art in Russia and Europe are concentrated. The writer saw in him a concentrate of depravity, poverty and cowardice. The collection “Petersburg Tales” was dedicated to identifying the problems of society in northern Palmyra, and at the same time throughout Russia, and searching for ways of salvation. This cycle includes “Portrait,” which will be discussed in our article.

The writer came up with the idea for the story “Portrait” in 1832. The first edition was published in the collection "Arabesques" in 1835. Later, after writing “Dead Souls” and traveling abroad, in 1841 Gogol subjected the book to significant changes. In the third issue of Sovremennik new version saw the light. In it, the epithets, dialogues, and rhythm of presentation were changed, and the surname of the leading character became “Chartkov” instead of “Chertkov,” which was associated with the devil. This is the story of "Portrait".

The motif of an image possessing ominous power was inspired by Gogol’s then-fashionable novel by Maturin “Melmoth the Wanderer.” In addition, the image of a greedy moneylender also makes these works similar. In the image of the greedy businessman, whose portrait turns the life of the main character upside down, one can hear echoes of the myth of Agasphere - the “Eternal Jew” who cannot find peace.

Meaning of the name

The ideological concept of the work lies in its title – “Portrait”. It is no coincidence that Gogol names his brainchild this way. It is the portrait that is the cornerstone of the entire work, which allows you to expand the genre range from a story to a detective story, and also completely changes the life of the main character. It is filled with special ideological content: it is he who is the symbol of greed and depravity. This work raises the question of art and 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", none of this would carry such symbolic meaning, and the ominous image would remain only a work of art. The title “Portrait” focuses the reader on this particular creation, forces him to always keep in mind, and subsequently, see in it more than the captured face.

Genre and direction

The direction of fantastic realism set by Gogol showed up relatively little in this work. There are no ghosts, animated noses or other humanized objects, but there is a certain mystical power a moneylender whose money brings people only grief; The painting, completed at the end of his life, continues the terrible mission of the person depicted in it. But Gogol gives a simple explanation for all the terrifying phenomena that happened to Chartkov after acquiring the canvas: it was a dream. Therefore, the role of fiction in “Portrait” is not great.

The story in the second part receives elements detective story. The author gives an explanation of where the money could have 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 is correlated with satire.

Composition

The story “Portrait” consists of two parts, but each of them has its own compositional features. The first section has a classic structure:

1. exposition (life of a poor artist)
2. tie-in (purchase of a portrait)
3. climax (Chartkov's mental disorder)
4. denouement (death of the painter)

The second part can be perceived as an epilogue or some kind of author’s commentary on the above. The peculiarity of the composition of “Portrait” is that Gogol uses the technique of a story within a story. The son of the artist who painted the ominous portrait appears at the auction and claims ownership of the work. He talks about difficult fate his father, the life of a greedy moneylender and the mystical properties of the portrait. His speech is framed by the auctioneers' bargaining and the disappearance of the very subject of the dispute.

About what?

The action takes place in St. Petersburg. The young artist Chartkov is in extreme need, but with his last pennies he buys a portrait of an old man in a shop on Shchukin’s yard, whose eyes “stroking 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 stuck out a bag of gold. In the morning, gold chervonets were discovered in the frame of the picture. The hero moved with the best apartment, acquired all the things necessary for painting in the hope of devoting himself entirely to art and developing his talent. But everything turned out completely differently. Chartkov became a fashionable popular artist, and his main activity was painting commissioned portraits. One day he saw the work of his comrade, which awakened his young man former interest in real creativity, but it was already too late: the hand does not obey, the brush performs only memorized strokes. Then he goes berserk: he buys up the best paintings and brutally destroys them. Soon Chartkov dies. This is the essence of the work: material wealth destroys a person’s creative nature.

During the auction, when his property is being sold, one gentleman claims rights to the portrait of an 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 canvas mysteriously disappears.

The main characters and their characteristics

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 moneylender is clearly presented.

• Character young artist changes dramatically throughout the work. At the beginning of the “Portrait” Chartkov is romantic image artist: he dreams of developing his talent, learning from the best masters, if only there was money for it. And then the money appears. The first impulse was quite noble: the young man purchased everything necessary for painting, but the desire to become fashionable and famous in an easier way than through many hours of work took over. At the end of the first part, the artist is overwhelmed by greed, envy and frustration, which forces him to buy best paintings and destroy them, he becomes a “fierce avenger.” Of course, Chartkov is a small man, unexpected wealth turned his head and eventually drove him crazy.
• But it can be assumed that the effect of the golden chervonets on the main character is not due to his low social status, but with the mystical effect of the money of the moneylender himself. The son of the author of the portrait of this Persian tells many stories about this. The moneylender himself, wanting to preserve part of his power, asks the artist to paint a portrait of him. The narrator's father took on this job, but could not cope with it. In this painter Gogol portrayed the true creator in Christian understanding: undergo purification, pacify your spirit and only then begin work. He is contrasted with Chartkov, the artist from the first part of the story.

Topics

This relatively short story touches on many topics relating to quite diverse areas of human life.

• Theme of creativity. Gogol introduces us to two artists. What should a true creator be like? One strives to study the works of masters, but is not averse to gaining fame in an easier way. Another painter first of all works on himself, on his desires and passions. For him, art is part of his philosophy, his religion. This is his life, it cannot contradict it. He feels a responsibility to creativity and believes that a person must prove his right to engage in it.
• Good and evil. This theme is expressed through both art and wealth. On the one hand, feathered means are needed so that the creator can freely go about his business and develop his talent. But using the example of Chartkov we see that initially good intentions investing in your improvement can result in death, first of all, death human soul. Is it only the mystical sweetness of the moneylender's heritage that is to blame? Gogol shows that a person can overcome anything, if only he is strong. The main character demonstrated weakness of spirit, and therefore disappeared.
• Wealth- the main theme in the story “Portrait”. Here it is presented as a way to find happiness. It would seem that just a little money and everything will be fine: it will be happy marriage with the first beauty, the creditors will leave the family alone, everything necessary for creativity will be acquired. But everything turns out differently. In addition to satisfying needs, money has a downside: it creates greed, envy and cowardice.

Issues

• The problem of art. In the story, Gogol offers the artist two paths: to paint portraits for money or to engage in self-improvement without any special claims to wealth. The painter stands in front of difficult choice: for development he needs funds for paints, brushes, etc., but long hours of work and infamy will not bring any money. There is a way to get rich quick, but painting portraits does not mean increasing your skill level. When deciding what to do, you need to remember one thing: if the one who follows the path of the master monk makes a mistake, he can still be saved, but he who follows the easy road will no longer get rid of the “hardened forms.”
• Vanity. Gogol shows in the story how Chartkov, who suddenly became rich, gradually comes to vanity. At first he pretends that he does not recognize his teacher, then he agrees to endure the whims of clients for the sake of money and fame. The omen of trouble is the censure of the classics, and the result of this path was madness.
• Poverty. This problem faces most of the characters in "Portrait". Poverty does not allow Chartkov to freely engage in creativity, due to not the most high position one of the heroes of the second part cannot marry his beloved. But poverty here is not only a material problem, but also a spiritual one. Gold drives the heroes crazy, makes them greedy and envious. According to the author, a cowardly person with a lot of money is not able to cope: it completely destroys him.

The meaning of the story

Always remember about your soul, and not chase wealth - this is the main idea of ​​​​the story “Portrait”. All the possibilities for achieving a goal, finding happiness in a person already exist - Gogol talks about this. Later, Chekhov would turn to this idea in his drama “Three Sisters,” where the girls will believe that the path to joy is Moscow. And Nikolai Vasilyevich shows that to reach the goal, in in this case- you can comprehend art without special skills material costs. The main thing is not in them, but in inner strength person.

The narrator in the second part talks about the fatal effect of the moneylender's money, but is it fair to attribute all the troubles to mysticism? A person who puts money first is vulnerable to envy and depravity. That is why I woke up in a happy wife wild jealousy, and in Chartkov - despair and vindictiveness. This is where it lies philosophical meaning story "Portrait".

Personality, strong in spirit, not subject to such low qualities, she is able to cope with them and get rid of them. This illustrates life path artist, author of the portrait of a moneylender.

What does it teach?

The story “Portrait” warns about the danger of exalting 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 for the image little man characterized not only by material poverty, but also by spiritual poverty. This can explain the troubles of Chartkov and the moneylender’s borrowers. But Gogol does not give a single positive example when money would be beneficial. Author's position is clearly expressed: the writer sees the only correct path in spiritual improvement, in renunciation of secular temptations. The main character understands 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 Hoffman in style and method of correlating the fantastic and the real. Every one here unusual thing can be explained rationally, and characters as close as possible to the society of St. Petersburg. Such persuasiveness alarmed the reader of the story and made “Portrait” a relevant work both for Gogol’s contemporaries and for his heirs.

Criticism

Literary criticism of the author's contemporaries was varied. Belinsky disapproved of this story, especially the second part, he considered it an addition in which the author himself was not visible. Shevyrev also adhered to a similar position, accusing Gogol of a weak manifestation of the fantastic in “Portrait.” But Nikolai Vasilyevich’s contribution to the development of Russian classical prose it is difficult to overestimate, and “Portrait” also makes its contribution here. Chernyshevsky speaks about this in his articles.

When considering critics' assessments, it is important to keep in mind that the final edition of "Portrait" took place during 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 introducing any newfangled ideas. From these positions one should consider the validity of the criticism of Belinsky and Shevyrev.

Interesting? Save it on your wall!

Chartkov is the main character of the story “Portrait” by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol.

Chartkov - young artist. He was a little over twenty. He lived very poorly, rented an apartment on the fifteenth line of Vasilyevsky Island, and did not take care of his attire. According to his teacher, Chartkov was a very talented artist, but he had no luck. He wanted to achieve success quickly in order to earn a lot. For him, art was a source of income, not a means of self-expression. He did not want to live in poverty for the sake of art and generally endure anything for the sake of it. He was very impatient, which his teacher also noticed.

One day, after all, Chartkov was lucky. With his last money he bought a beautiful portrait, in the frame of which he found a large sum money. Then Chartkov was overcome with happiness. He immediately ordered outfits for himself from the studio, rented an expensive apartment, and bought a lot of perfume. Since then, Chartkov began to spend a lot of time in society, met the right people. He liked to live in luxury. He began to draw portraits. Each of Chartkov’s paintings was of the same type and lacked something creative. Not a trace remained of Chertkov’s former talent. Creativity began to disappoint him.

Over time, Chartkov’s soul was overcome by anger and dependence. One day he saw a beautiful painting by a talented artist. Chartkov immediately understood this. He thought that he himself could develop his talent, but he indulged in money, material values, and comfort. This pissed him off. He was overcome with negative feelings. Everything bright left him.

Then Chartkov began to fight his envy with the help of destruction. He collected beautiful, charming and skillful paintings all over the world and destroyed houses. Thus, he killed everything good, beautiful and bright in this world. This characterizes Chartkov as an evil, insidious, furious character.

The image of Chartkov symbolizes the image of imaginary art. Chartkov is not an artist in the full sense of the word. For him, paintings are just a way to earn money. He does not put his soul, emotions and feelings into them. Chartkov, in principle, is not capable of experiencing deep feelings, compassion and mercy. This is an initially callous and cruel person, whose essence was revealed only when he became rich.

Essay 2

In his work “Portrait” Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol touches on the topic of art. The main creator is the young artist Andrei Petrovich Chartkov.

Chartkov is presented as an impoverished nobleman living in complete poverty on Vasilyevsky Island. The young man lives in complete poverty, renting a dilapidated room for which he has large debts. Due to material constraints, he forces himself to forget about his appearance. Chartkov looks very unkempt: he wears a shabby overcoat and a worn-out robe.

Andrey Petrovich shows great promise as an artist. Art is of great selfless interest to him and is the whole meaning of life. He undoubtedly has talent, but, unfortunately, he has little patience and his creations do not bring the desired income. The main desired goal of the artist is to get rich as soon as possible. This obsession prevents him from improving in his business.

Chartkov's dreams turned into reality when he discovered a bundle with a thousand chervonnies in a portrait of a money lender, bought with his last money.

Thoughts about wealth turned the young artist’s head, and without hesitation he began to scatter his money in different directions. The first thing he did was rent the most expensive apartment on Nevsky Prospekt, then acquired expensive clothes and the most exquisite perfumes. After this, Chartkov advertised himself in one of the fashionable newspapers, to which wealthy clients immediately responded. The secular elite, who knew nothing about pure art, we needed portraits of the same type that had nothing individual.

Chasing money and fame, Chartkov finally lost his talent, his brush weakened, and his works lost their former originality. There was no longer a clear idea in them; they ceased to be considered objects of art.

Simply put, Chartkov traded talent for prosperity and universal recognition. Looking at others outstanding artists, he realized what he had done. He tried to start all over again, to return to his previous life, but the brush in his hand no longer obeyed. The young man became extremely jealous and selfish; began to buy the best paintings and mercilessly tear them up in his studio.

In the end, Andrei Petrovich Chartkov died, having completely lost his mind.

In his work, N.V. Gogol showed how, in pursuit of a carefree life, a person loses his personality. Art must be sincere and contain a piece of the creator’s soul.

“Art can only be called real if it finds a response in the heart of everyone, and is not understood only by a bunch of aristocrats who carefully pretend that they understand it.”

Historical essay Vladimir Monomakh

After Svyatopolk, who died in 1113, the veche elected a new ruler - Vladimir Monomakh. Thus, Grand Duke rules in Kievan Rus at the beginning of the twelfth century, namely, in 1113-1125.

The main character of the story, a young and promising artist; resident of St. Petersburg. Full name- Andrey Petrovich Chartkov. This is an impoverished nobleman who has only one serf in his service - the servant Nikita. He doesn’t even have money for an extra candle so as not to sit in the dark. In the story, Chartkov rents a room on Vasilyevsky Island and barely makes ends meet.

One of the characters in the story, the father of one of the two artists described in the work. This man lived in Kolomna and was engaged in painting temples. One day he came up with the idea of ​​painting a portrait of the spirit of darkness. It didn’t take long to persuade fate, because a neighbor, a moneylender, came to see him and caused only trouble for those around him.

One of the characters in the story, a man whose portrait, along with money, brought misfortune to its owners. The moneylender was a large, elderly man of Asian appearance. He lived next door to a talented self-taught artist, whom he asked to paint his portrait. The fame of the old Asian man was not the best. Everyone who borrowed money from him was sure to experience some kind of tragedy.

One of the characters in the story, son famous painter from Kolomna; the narrator of a story about a terrible moneylender and his portrait. All that we know about him is that, at the insistence of his father, he studied at the Academy of Arts. Then he traveled to Italy to improve his skills and knew about the terrible impact of the portrait of an old Asian man on those around him.

Nikita

An episodic character, Chartkov's assistant and servant.

Apartment owner

An episodic character, he demanded a quarterly debt from Chartkov.

Varukh Kuzmich

An episodic character, a policeman, who, at the request of the owner of the apartment, demanded money from Chartkov for payment. I accidentally found a bundle of money in his apartment.

Salesman

An episodic character, he sold a painting with a portrait of an old man to Chartkov.

Friend of the artist's father