Anna Karenina - LimpidSoft

PART FIVE CHAPTER 11
expression most of all, and she felt that it was the center of the picture, and so praise
of it would be pleasant to the artist. “One can see that He is pitying Pilate.”
This again was one of the million true reflections that could be found in his picture
and in the figure of Christ. She said that He was pitying Pilate. In Christ’s expression
there ought to be indeed an expression of pity, since there is an expression of love, of
heavenly peace, of readiness for death, and a sense of the vanity of words. Of course
there is the expression of an official in Pilate and of pity in Christ, seeing that one
is the incarnation of the fleshly and the other of the spiritual life. All this and much
more flashed into Mihailov’s thoughts.
“Yes, and how that figure is done–what atmosphere! One can walk round it,” said
Golenishtchev, unmistakably betraying by this remark that he did not approve of the
meaning and idea of the figure.
“Yes, there’s a wonderful mastery!” said Vronsky. “How those figures in the background
stand out! There you have technique,” he said, addressing Golenishtchev,
alluding to a conversation between them about Vronsky’s despair of attaining this
technique.
“Yes, yes, marvelous!” Golenishtchev and Anna assented. In spite of the excited
condition in which he was, the sentence about technique had sent a pang to Mihailov’s
heart, and looking angrily at Vronsky he suddenly scowled. He had often
heard this word technique, and was utterly unable to understand what was understood
by it. He knew that by this term was understood a mechanical facility for
painting or drawing, entirely apart from its subject. He had noticed often that even
in actual praise technique was opposed to essential quality, as though one could
paint well something that was bad. He knew that a great deal of attention and care
was necessary in taking off the coverings, to avoid injuring the creation itself, and to
take off all the coverings; but there was no art of painting–no technique of any sort–
about it. If to a little child or to his cook were revealed what he saw, it or she would
have been able to peel the wrappings off what was seen. And the most experienced
and adroit painter could not by mere mechanical facility paint anything if the lines
of the subject were not revealed to him first. Besides, he saw that if it came to talking
about technique, it was impossible to praise him for it. In all he had painted and
repainted he saw faults that hurt his eyes, coming from want of care in taking off
the wrappings–faults he could not correct now without spoiling the whole. And in
almost all the figures and faces he saw, too, remnants of the wrappings not perfectly
removed that spoiled the picture.
“One thing might be said, if you will allow me to make the remark...” observed
Golenishtchev.
“Oh, I shall be delighted, I beg you,” said Mihailov with a forced smile.
“That is, that you make Him the man-god, and not the God-man. But I know that
was what you meant to do.”
“I cannot paint a Christ that is not in my heart,” said Mihailov gloomily.
“Yes; but in that case, if you will allow me to say what I think.... Your picture
is so fine that my observation cannot detract from it, and, besides, it is only my
personal opinion. With you it is different. Your very motive is different. But let
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