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Good and evil in the story by N.V. Gogol "Portrait"

Gogol called his story "Portrait". Is it because the portrait of the moneylender played a fatal role in the fate of his heroes, the artists, whose fates are compared in two parts of the story? Or because the author wanted to give a portrait modern society and a talented person who perishes or is saved in spite of hostile circumstances and the humiliating properties of nature? Or is this a portrait of art and the soul of the writer himself, trying to get away from the temptation of success and prosperity and cleanse the soul with high service to art?
Probably, in this strange story by Gogol there is a social, moral, and aesthetic meaning, there is a reflection on what a person, society, and art are. Modernity and eternity are intertwined here so inextricably that the life of the Russian capital in the 30s of the 19th century goes back to biblical thoughts about good and evil, about their endless struggle in human soul.

N.V. Gogol's story “Portrait” consists of two interconnected parts.
The first part of the story is about a young artist named Chartkov. Seeing a strange portrait of an old man with piercing eyes in the shop, Chartkov is ready to give his last two kopecks for it. Poverty does not take away his ability to see the beauty of life and work with passion on his sketches. He reaches out to the light and does not want to turn art into an anatomical theater and expose the “disgusting person” with a knife-brush. He rejects artists whose “nature itself... seems low and dirty,” so that “there is nothing illuminating in it.” Chartkov buys the portrait and takes it to his poor house. At home, he examines the portrait better, and sees that now not only the eyes, but also the whole face are alive, it seems as if the old man is about to come to life. The young artist goes to bed and dreams that the old man crawled out of his portrait and shows him a bag containing many bundles of money. The artist discreetly hides one of them. In the morning he actually discovers the money. What happens to the main character next? As soon as the money, miraculously falling from the portrait frame, gives Chartkov the opportunity to conduct an absent-minded social life, enjoy prosperity, wealth and fame, and not art, become his idol. Chartkov is hiring new apartment, orders a commendable article about himself in the newspaper and begins to paint fashionable portraits. Moreover, the similarity between the portraits and
customers - minimal, since the artist embellishes faces and removes flaws. Money flows like a river. Chartkov himself is surprised how he could previously attach so much importance to similarity and spend so much time working on one portrait. Chartkov becomes fashionable, famous, he is invited everywhere. The Academy of Arts asks to express his opinion about the works of one young artist. Chartkov was about to criticize, but suddenly he saw how magnificent the work of the young talent was. He understands that he once exchanged his talent for money. But the shock Chartkov experienced from beautiful picture does not awaken him to a new life, because for this it was necessary to abandon the pursuit of wealth and fame, to kill the evil in himself. Chartkov chooses a different path: he begins to expel talented art from the world, buy and cut magnificent canvases, and kill goodness. And this path leads him to madness and death.

What was the reason for these terrible transformations: a person’s weakness in the face of temptations or the mystical witchcraft of the portrait of a moneylender who gathered the evil of the world in his scorching gaze?

Evil affects not only Chartkov, who is subject to the temptations of success, but also the father of the artist B., who painted a portrait of a moneylender who looked like the devil and became evil spirits. And “a strong character, an honest, straightforward person,” having painted a portrait of evil, feels “incomprehensible anxiety,” disgust for life and envy for the success of his talented students. He can no longer paint good, his brush is driven by an “unclean feeling,” and in the picture intended for the temple “there is no holiness in the faces.”

Seeing the self-interest, insignificance, and “earthliness” of people, the writer is indignant and lectures. The artist, the father of the narrator of the second part B., atoning for the evil that he committed by painting a portrait of a moneylender, goes to a monastery, becomes a hermit and reaches that spiritual height that allows him to paint the Nativity of Jesus. Having taken monastic vows, he bequeaths his son to find and destroy the portrait. He says: “Whoever contains talent must have a soul purer than anyone else.”

The juxtaposition of the first and second parts in Gogol’s “Portrait” is intended to convince the reader that evil can take possession of any person, regardless of his moral nature. And it will always be like this. After all, the portrait disappears. Evil is walking around the world, finding new victims...

The story "Portrait" was completed by N.V. Gogol by 1841. The writer reflects on the high mystery of art, the spiritual death of the artist. This story touches on many issues. One of the most important problems is the struggle between good and evil. It can be successfully revealed due to the fact that the work consists of two parts, in each of which the artist is present.

The first part tells about the painter Chartkov.

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He is very talented, but poor. After acquiring a strange portrait in an art gallery, unusual things happen to him: the moneylender depicted in the portrait comes to life, an incomprehensible dream. In this dream, Chartkov sees a lot of money, which gives us the right to talk about his thirst for fame and wealth. In the soul of the main character there is a secret evil, an ill-wisher. Soon he discovers the money that fell out of that painting. With their help, he becomes rich and then famous. With the acquisition of fame, Chartkov loses the most important thing - his individuality. He no longer draws from the heart, but according to accepted standards and stereotypes. One day, at an exhibition of the work of his longtime friend, he noticed the magnificence of his work. At that moment he realizes that he exchanged his talent for money. Soon Chartkov dies, shocked by this thought.

The second part of the story tells about another artist, completely opposite in spirit, not prone to ambition. A moneylender came to him with a request to draw his portrait. The artist set to work on it, but the execution process was going poorly. Upon completion of the portrait, it began to be passed from hand to hand, and everyone to whom it fell became doomed to misfortune. The artist realized that he had committed a sin, became a hermit and went to a monastery. Having healed his soul by painting the icon, he bequeathed to his son to find and destroy that ill-fated portrait. In this way he tried to atone for his sin.

Summarizing the above, we can say that good and evil in the story “Portrait” are certainly interconnected and are the main theme of the work. The first manifests itself here as atonement for sin, the desire for repentance and the absence of ambition that darkens life. And the second is manifested in the path from talent to death due to greed and envy, the desire to become richer and gain fame, no matter what.

Updated: 2019-02-10

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Good and evil in the story by N.V. Gogol "Portrait"
Gogol called his story "Portrait". Is it because the portrait of the moneylender played a fatal role in the fate of his heroes, the artists, whose fates are compared in two parts of the story? Or because the author wanted to give a portrait of modern society and a talented person who perishes or is saved in spite of hostile circumstances and the humiliating properties of nature? Or is this a portrait of art and the soul of the writer himself, trying to get away from the temptation of success and prosperity and cleanse the soul with high service to art? Probably, in this strange story by Gogol there is a social, moral, and aesthetic meaning, there is a reflection on what a person, society, and art are. Modernity and eternity are intertwined here so inextricably that the life of the Russian capital in the 30s of the 19th century goes back to biblical thoughts about good and evil, about their endless struggle in the human soul.
N.V. Gogol's story “Portrait” consists of two interconnected parts. The first part of the story is about a young artist named Chartkov. Seeing a strange portrait of an old man with piercing eyes in the shop, Chartkov is ready to give his last two kopecks for it. Poverty does not take away his ability to see the beauty of life and work with passion on his sketches. He reaches out to the light and does not want to turn art into an anatomical theater and expose the “disgusting person” with a knife-brush. He rejects artists whose “nature itself... seems low and dirty,” so that “there is nothing illuminating in it.” Chartkov buys the portrait and takes it to his poor house. At home, he examines the portrait better, and sees that now not only the eyes, but also the whole face are alive, it seems as if the old man is about to come to life. The young artist goes to bed and dreams that the old man crawled out of his portrait and shows him a bag containing many bundles of money. The artist discreetly hides one of them. In the morning he actually discovers the money. What happens to the main character next? As soon as the money, miraculously dropped from the portrait frame, gives Chartkov the opportunity to lead an absent-minded social life and enjoy prosperity, wealth and fame, and not art, become his idol. Chartkov rents a new apartment, orders a commendable article about himself in the newspaper and begins to paint fashionable portraits. Moreover, the similarity between the portraits and the clients is minimal, since the artist embellishes the faces and removes flaws. Money flows like a river. Chartkov himself is surprised how he could previously attach so much importance to similarity and spend so much time working on one portrait. Chartkov becomes fashionable, famous, he is invited everywhere. The Academy of Arts asks to express his opinion about the works of one young artist. Chartkov was about to criticize, but suddenly he saw how magnificent the work of the young talent was. He understands that he once exchanged his talent for money. But the shock experienced by Chartkov from the beautiful picture does not awaken him to a new life, because for this it was necessary to abandon the pursuit of wealth and fame, to kill the evil in himself. Chartkov chooses a different path: he begins to expel talented art from the world, buy and cut magnificent canvases, and kill goodness. And this path leads him to madness and death.
What was the reason for these terrible transformations: a person’s weakness in the face of temptations or the mystical witchcraft of the portrait of a moneylender who gathered the evil of the world in his scorching gaze?
Evil affects not only Chartkov, who is subject to the temptations of success, but also the father of the artist B., who painted a portrait of a moneylender who resembled the devil and who himself became an evil spirit. And “a strong character, an honest, straightforward person,” having painted a portrait of evil, feels “incomprehensible anxiety,” disgust for life and envy for the success of his talented students. He can no longer paint good, his brush is driven by an “unclean feeling,” and in the picture intended for the temple “there is no holiness in the faces.”
Seeing the self-interest, insignificance, and “earthliness” of people, the writer is indignant and lectures. The artist, the father of the narrator of the second part B., atoning for the evil that he committed by painting a portrait of a moneylender, goes to a monastery, becomes a hermit and reaches that spiritual height that allows him to paint the Nativity of Jesus. Having taken monastic vows, he bequeaths his son to find and destroy the portrait. He says: “He who contains talent must be purest in soul.”
The juxtaposition of the first and second parts in Gogol’s “Portrait” is intended to convince the reader that evil can take possession of any person, regardless of his moral nature. And it will always be like this. After all, the portrait disappears. Evil is walking around the world, finding new victims.
Why does the author need this? It seems to me that the author once again calls on the artist to be careful, attentive, responsible, calls, first of all, to maintain purity of heart, to “keep awake” in soul.

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The story “Portrait” was written by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol in 1842. The author uses a traditional motif: money, Wealth in exchange for a soul. It touches on many problems: the struggle between good and evil in the human soul, the power of money over a person, but the most important thing is the problem of the purpose of art (true and imaginary art). The story consists of two parts, each of which features an artist.
The first part tells about the young painter Chartkov. This is a very talented, but at the same time poor person. He admires the talent of great artists; he is offended by the fact that fashionable artists who paint their pictures receive huge amounts of money, and he must sit in poverty. But then something happens to him strange story. One day he walked into an art shop and saw an unusual portrait. The portrait was very old, it depicted an old man in Asian costume. The portrait greatly fascinated Chartkov. The old man pulled him towards him; his eyes were especially expressive - they looked at him as if they were real. The young artist, without expecting it, bought this painting. After this, a strange situation happened to Chartkov: at night he had a dream that an old man crawled out of the picture and showed him a bag of money. This suggests that our young artist craves wealth and fame; there is already something demonic in his soul. Then he wakes up and finds money on the willow tree that would last him for three years. Chartkov decides that it is better to spend it on canvases and paints, that is, for the benefit of his talent. But temptation attracts him: he breaks down and starts buying a lot of things he doesn’t need, rents an apartment in the city and buys himself fame in the form of a laudable article in the newspaper. He betrayed himself, his talent, became arrogant; he does not pay any attention to the people who once occupied an important place in his life, including the teacher who gave him advice: “You have talent; it would be a sin if you ruin it. Make sure you don’t turn out to be a fashionable painter ... "The article in the newspaper caused a sensation: people ran to him, asking him to draw their portrait, demanding this or that. Now he painted not so naturally, more similar to the person being portrayed, but like this. as his clients asked: “one demanded to depict himself in a strong, energetic turn of the head; the other with inspired eyes raised upward; the guards lieutenant absolutely demanded that Mars be visible in the eyes...” After this, the artist’s opinion completely changes, he is surprised at how he did it. could previously attach so much importance to similarities and spend so much time working on one portrait: “This man, who spends several months poring over a painting, to me, is a hard worker, not an artist. I don’t believe that he has talent. A genius creates boldly, quickly..., argued that too much dignity has already been attributed to previous artists, that all of them before Raphael painted not figures, but herrings... Mikel Angel is a braggart...". Chartkov becomes a fashionable and famous rich man. The secret of his success is simple - catering to selfish orders and moving away from true art. One day he was asked to express his opinion about the works of a young artist. Chartkov was going to criticize his paintings, but suddenly he sees how magnificent the work of the young talent is. And then he realizes that he exchanged his talent for money. Then he is overcome by envy of all artists - he buys and spoils their paintings. Soon he goes crazy and dies.

Gogol is always interesting to read. Even a long time ago famous works you start reading and get carried away. And especially the stories are little-known. It would seem serious classic writer, philosopher, but you take his book and are transported to most interesting world, sometimes mystical, and sometimes the most mundane. In the story "Portrait" there is both. The author puts his hero in an unprecedented situation: poor, talented artist suddenly gets everything he dreams of through a mysterious portrait, which he himself buys with his last money from a merchant. He is strangely attracted to the eyes of the person depicted in the portrait. It’s as if a living gaze surprises everyone with its strength and terrible verisimilitude. That same night Chartkov sees. strange half-dream-half-reality. He dreams that the old man depicted in the portrait “moved and suddenly leaned against the frame with both hands. Finally he rose up on his hands and, sticking out both legs, jumped out of the frame...” In a dream, Chartkov sees 1000 chervonets from the old man, but in reality the money actually ends up in the portrait frame. The quarterly carelessly touches the frame, and a heavy package falls in front of Chartkov. The first thoughts prompted by reason were noble: “Now I am provided for at least three years, I can lock myself in a room and work. Now I have enough for paints; for lunch, for tea, for maintenance, for an apartment; and now no one will bother me; I’ll buy myself an excellent mannequin, order a plaster torso, shape the legs, pose a Venus, buy engravings from the first paintings. And if I work for three years for myself, without rushing, not for sale, I’ll kill them all and I can. be a great artist." But the long-poverty artist dreamed of something else. “Another voice was heard from within, more audible and louder. And when he looked at the gold again, twenty-two years and ardent youth began to speak within him.” Chartkov didn’t even notice how he bought clothes for himself, “took two rides around the city in a carriage for no reason,” visited a restaurant, a hairdresser, and moved to a new apartment. A dizzying career fell upon him. It was published in the newspaper, and the first customers appeared. -A noble lady brought her daughter to paint a portrait of her. Gogol does not do without comical moments in any of his works. Here is a very apt joke about the lady’s enthusiasm for painting:

"- However, Monsieur Nohl... ah, how he writes! What an extraordinary brush! I find that he has even more expression in his faces than Titian. Don’t you know Monsieur Nohl?

Who is this Zero? - asked the artist.

Monsieur Zero. Oh, what talent!"

One joke conveys the level and interests secular society . The artist, with great interest and not yet lost talent, began to paint a portrait. He conveyed to the canvas all the shades of the young face, and did not miss some yellowness and a barely noticeable blue shadow under the eyes. But my mother didn't like it. She objected that it could only be today, but usually the face strikes with special freshness. Having corrected the shortcomings, the artist noticed with disappointment that the individuality of nature had also disappeared. Still wanting to express what he noticed in the girl, Chartkov transfers all this to his old sketch of Psyche. The ladies are delighted with the “surprise” that the artist came up with the idea of ​​depicting her “in the form of Psyche.” Having failed to convince the ladies, Chartkov gives away the portrait of Psyche. Society admired the new talent, and Chartkov received orders. But this was far from what gives a painter the opportunity to develop. Here Gogol also gives free rein to humor: “The ladies demanded that predominantly only the soul and character be depicted in portraits, so that sometimes the rest should not be adhered to at all, all corners should be rounded, all flaws should be lightened and even, if possible, avoided altogether... Men were also no better than the ladies. One demanded to portray himself with a strong, energetic turn of the head; the other, with his inspired eyes raised upward, demanded that Mars be visible in the eyes of the civil dignitary; so that his hand would rest on a book on which it would be written in clear words: “Always stood for the truth.” And over time, Chartkov becomes a fashionable, but, alas, an empty painter, the reason for this, of course, was the purchased portrait with his devilish charms. Through a fantastic plot, the author shows what fame and wealth can do to a person. It is not for nothing that the professor, his mentor, warns Chartkov at the very beginning of the story: “You have talent; It will be a sin if you destroy him. Be careful that you don’t turn out to be a fashionable painter." Creative aspiration and trepidation gradually disappear. Busy with balls and visits, the artist barely sketches out the main features, leaving the finishing touches to his students. Even the talent that made its way in him at the beginning has faded away without a trace due to the embellishment of officials, ladies , their daughters and girlfriends. The passion for gold was perched on the pedestal that had previously been occupied by painting. Gold would have filled his life completely if not for one event. . The picture he saw struck the celebrity so much that he could not even express his prepared disdainful judgment. The painting was so beautiful that it stirred up his stale past. Tears choked him, and without saying a word, he ran out of the hall. The sudden insight of his ruined life blinded him. Realizing that he can never return his lost talent and lost youth, Chartkov becomes a terrible monster. With sinister greed, he begins to buy up all worthy works of art and destroy them. It's becoming main passion and his only occupation. As a result, the insane and sick artist dies in a terrible fever, where he sees a portrait of an old man everywhere. Scary eyes from the portrait look at him from everywhere...

But another hero, who is mentioned only in the second part of the story, acts differently. This young artist meets very unusual person, a moneylender who asks to have his portrait painted. There are very mysterious rumors about the moneylender. Anyone who messed with him was sure to get into trouble. But the artist still undertakes to paint a portrait. The resemblance to the original is striking, the eyes seem to be looking out of a portrait. And so, having painted the moneylender, the artist realizes that he will no longer be able to paint pure images. He realizes that he has portrayed the devil. After this, he forever goes to the monastery to cleanse himself. As a gray-haired old man, he achieves enlightenment and, taking up a brush, is already able to paint saints. Giving instructions to his son, he himself speaks like a saint: “The hint of the divine, the heavenly is contained for man in art, and for that alone it is already above all... Sacrifice everything to him and love him with all your passion, not with a passion breathing earthly lust , but with a quiet, heavenly passion: without it, a person has no power to rise from the earth and cannot give wonderful sounds of peace, for to calm and reconcile everyone, a lofty creation of art descends into the world.” But nevertheless, the story does not end optimistically. Gogol allows the portrait to continue its fateful journey, warning that no one is safe from evil.