Isaac Levitan

Isaac Levitan

“…he was successful with women and was himself unusually passionate and expressive in his feelings. Yet at times he would fall into dark melancholy, ready to take his own life — to hang himself or shoot himself — but these moods would pass,” wrote the sister of Anton Chekhov about Isaac Levitan.

Judging by memoirs, this is how many of his contemporaries perceived him.

Indeed — early fame, two forced expulsions from Moscow, dozens of admirers and an unsettled personal life, hundreds of paintings, and only 39 years to live.

It was difficult for him to find mutual understanding with people, yet he managed to build a profound dialogue with the quiet, contemplative nature of central Russia.
Levitan could be moved to tears by a sunlit forest edge and was deeply touched by the beauty of melting snow.

During the lecture, we will explore:

• how to unite Russian тоска and Jewish melancholy through landscape

• where “Evening Bells” calls us

• the risks and tensions of friendship between an artist and a writer

• and finally, what lies beyond “Above Eternal Peace”

The lecture will be given by Galina Apryshkina — an art historian, lecturer, and guide with many years of experience in Moscow and Tbilisi.