Page:Anna Karenina.djvu/627

 several interesting persons, which came about through Golenishchef, made the first part of this period very enjoyable. Under the instruction of an Italian professor of painting, he made some studies from nature, and he took up the study of Italian life during the Middle Ages. Medieval Italian life became so fascinating to him that he began to wear his hat and throw his plaid over his shoulders in the medieval style, which was very becoming to him.

"Here we are alive, and yet we know nothing," said Vronsky one morning to Golenishchef, who came in to see him. "Have you seen Mikhaïlof's painting?" he asked, and at the same time handed him a Russian paper just received, and indicated an article on this artist, who was living in that very city, and had just completed a picture about which many reports had long been in circulation, and which had been sold on the easel. The article severely criticized the government and the academy that an artist of such genius was left without any encouragement and aid.

"I have seen it," replied Golenishchef. "Of course he is not without talent, but his tendencies are absolutely false. He always shows the Ivanof-Strauss-Renan conception of Christ and religious art."

"What is the subject of his painting?" asked Anna.

"'Christ before Pilate.' The Christ is a Jew with all the realism of the new school."

And as this subject was a favorite one with him, he began to develop his ideas.

"I cannot understand how they can fall into such a gross mistake. The type of the Christ in art was clearly represented by the old masters. Accordingly, if they want to paint, not God, but a sage or a revolutionist, let them take Franklin or Socrates, or Charlotte Corday,—but not Christ. They take the very person whom art should not attempt to portray, and then ...."

"Is it true that this Mikhaïlof is in such poverty?" asked Vronsky, who felt that in his quality of Russian