An Artist's Story
Wow! This is the kind of story that after you finish it -- you realize what a master storyteller Chekhov really is. He constructs a story so elegantly -- the characters displayed like fine silver on a table setting.
The story concerns a young artist -- he paints landscapes -- who is out in the country (he spends a lot of his time contemplating truth and the meaning of life) where he encounters a family consisting of a mother and two beautiful young women.
One of the sisters, Lida, wants to help the peasants by building schools, hospitals, and libraries. She looks down on the artist because he only cares about creating art and not helping humanity. The other sister is Genya. Genya loves to read and she takes a liking to the artist. Genya and the artist fall in love and would have lived a good life if not for Lida and her politics. There is a lot of discussion about what is the best way to help the poor peasants.
The artist finally confronts Lida and explains that in his mind the best way to help the peasants is to lighten their work load so they have time to pursue the really important things in life -- which in the artist's mind are spiritual things -- and if the peasants had more time to think and enjoy some idle time they would be healthier and happier. But Lida dismisses these arguments.
After reading the story, I am torn between the artist and Lida. Since the story is told from the artist's point of view, one tends to have sympathy for him -- when he talks about searching for the meaning of life and his sensitivity to light and nature --you feel like you know this person -- you regret that he missed out on sharing his love with the beautiful Genya -- and you are angry at Lida for interfering -- but I also think about Lida.
Her low regard for the artist is not completely unwarranted. He seems a bit too self-satisfied and truly I don't think he really cares about the peasants. He only argues with Lida out of vanity. He wants to show her he is smart enough to think about what is best for the peasants. Mostly, he wants her to take him seriously. Lida does care. She could have easily led a life of comfort and ease but instead dedicates herself to helping those less fortunate. However, she seems a bit too extreme -- willing to sacrifice her sister's happiness for a perceived greater good.
I suppose both Lida and the artist are idealists and they expose the good, the bad, and the ugly of that position.
I read this story recently in preparation for seeing Chekhov/Tolstoy: Love Stories, in an off Broadway theater next month. I have always loved Chekhov's work (although I've not read nearly enough of it), especially the artistry he applies to descriptive imagery. In this story, for example, the artist says "It was still and dark, and only here and there on the high tree-tops the vivid golden light quivered and made rainbows in the spiders' webs." Lovely. To your point, though, I understand what you mean about Lida and the artist. The artist makes a valid point, although it's one that Chekhov himself may have found just a bit disingenuous. Lida is the one doing the hard work of trying to make a difference in the lives of the peasants - something both meaningful and admirable. Chekhov himself treated many patients without charging them, or letting them pay only what they could afford. I don't think the love story here is between the artist and Genya (as you mention, he is a bit full of himself and only loves her because she likes him, and he knows that he has "conquered her heart by [his] talent." Instead, the love in this story may be for the peasants themselves. Between Lida and the artist, we get two different, but perhaps equally rational approaches to the problem of the oppression of the serfs. Lida's deals more with the immediate issues at hand (the micro), while the artist's deal with the long-term issues (the macro). I found thematic similarities between this story and "Ward No. 6" in that both have tension between two ideologies - although in "Ward No. 6" Gromov, the paranoid schizophrenic, was clearly the deeper and more cogent thinker.
ReplyDelete@ Unknown - I think, perhaps, you're putting too much weight on the clash of ideas or "ideologies" and not enough on the human beings who express them. True, Lida is admirable and does good things, but she's also strident, wouldn't you say? She's bossy, talks in a loud voice, and looks down on the artist. Of course, the artist is irritated, who wouldn't be? So, he finally loses his temper and basically tells her that her whole life is futile. He doesn't kowtow to her like Lida's mother and sister do and that's where he makes his mistake. By losing his temper and not believing in her, he's committed the ultimate sin. Remember the school lesson Lida is giving to the child near the end? The artist doesn't flatter her like the fox does to the crow. As a result, Lida (the crow) doesn't drop the piece of cheese (Misuce).
DeleteBy contrast, the artist is flattered by the adulation of Misuce and has fallen in love with her as a result. She's pretty, too! In their final meeting, she agrees with his views and there are few things more pleasing than that. The Chekhovian twist is that he doesn't comprehend that love inspired by someone believing in you can just as soon inspire someone's hate by not believing in you as he did with Lida.
@ Read Lots
DeleteThanks for adding the human dimension which is after all what Chekhov depicts best -- when all is said and done -- we are all fragile beings -- especially artists -- who tend to gravitate to those who appreciate their work and look askance at those that don't. Really appreciate all your input -- you are revitalizing the blog!
Thanks for your comment. You may also want to read "Peasants". Enjoy the show.
ReplyDelete