“Portrait” - a summary of the story by N.V. Gogol

History of creation

Gogol’s story “Portrait” did not immediately acquire the form known to modern readers. The author revised it several times. It was first published in 1835 in the collection “Arabesques”. The book was received negatively by many critics, including V. G. Belinsky. For the most part, it was because of this that the author took up the revision of the “Portrait” and completed it in 1842, while he was in Rome.

In a rewritten state, the work was first published in the third book of the Sovremennik magazine for 1842. The author replaced the epithets and dialogues, and most importantly, the main character’s surname from Chertkov to Chartkov, because the first option was associated with the word “devil.”

Brief Analysis

In "Portrait" Gogol brings out two main characters. In the first part (chapter) he is a young artist, in the second he is a moneylender. The writer characterizes Andrei Petrovich Chartkov as a young and talented man. He is an impoverished nobleman who rents a small room and shares it with his only serf.

Over the course of the story, the character of the main character changes dramatically. Nothing is known about the moneylender, but his image is surrounded by some mystical aura, bringing misfortune to everyone around him. This short book covers the following topics:

• impoverishment of people - concerns most of the characters;
• vanity inherent in the behavior of the rich Chartkov;
• the corruption of art with the possibility of choosing two paths - sacrificial self-improvement or quick enrichment.

The work shows that a person has every opportunity to achieve happiness within himself and warns about the dangers of worshiping money.

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Main events

In the Shchukinsky yard, near a trading bench, the story of a young artist begins. There, among various paintings, he liked one portrait. Chartkov was about to move away from the canvas, but still, with the last two kopecks, he buys it to bring home. The portrait shows an old man in Asian clothes. The picture is not complete, but it is drawn so believably that the eyes in it look like they are alive.

At home, Chartkov is informed that the landlord and the quarterly were looking for him and was going to demand payment for the apartment. The artist feels very annoyed for spending two kopecks. Seeing the servant sitting by the extinguished candles, Andrei becomes even more annoyed . He begins to reflect with bitterness on the injustice of life, which forced him, a young and talented artist, to vegetate in apprenticeship, while visiting painters receive impressive sums for a couple of strokes of the brush.

Impact of the portrait

Chartkov draws attention to the already forgotten portrait and is truly frightened by the living eyes, which seem to destroy the very harmony of the portrait. Andrey feels that some strange unpleasant feeling has settled inside him. Having gone to his sleeping corner, enclosed by a screen, Chartkov examines the moonlit portrait through the cracks and it seems to him that the old man in it is also staring at him.

Out of fear, he decides to hide the canvas, but even in the picture curtained with a sheet, the artist sees terrible eyes, visible even through the canvas. Suddenly Andrei notices that the sheet has actually disappeared, and the old man has crawled out of the frame and is approaching the screen. Having gone behind her, he sits down at Chartkov’s feet, takes out wads of money from a bag that he had taken from somewhere and begins to count them.

One of the packages, marked with the inscription “1000 chervonets”, turns out to be to the side and the artist desperately wants no one to notice how he appropriated it. So he wakes up, squeezing his hand, which seems to feel the weight of money. For a long time at night, Andrei is tormented by nightmares; he gets up late and with difficulty. The owner of the apartment visits him again, accompanied by a policeman. Having found out that there is no money and no money in sight, he offers the artist to pay for the housing with his works.

The owner's attention is drawn to a portrait of an old man. He comes closer to get a better look at the canvas and inadvertently squeezes the edge of the frame, because of which the bundle of money Chartkov had already seen in his dream falls out. The artist is very pleased that he manages to repay his debts for housing on the same day.

Rich life

Having suddenly become rich, the talented young man initially wanted to buy paints and canvases and lock himself in his workshop for about three years. But he suppressed this creative impulse within himself. He wanted to live in luxury - rent a luxurious apartment on Nevsky Prospekt and buy luxurious clothes. Soon it occurs to Andrei to order a laudatory article for himself in the newspaper. The very next day Chartkov received his first customer.

This is an important lady who wants to order a portrait of her daughter. She describes her vision of the details of the future painting, and the artist gets to work. As soon as he manages to sign his name and capture something important in the person being depicted, the lady takes her daughter away.

The next time she is dissatisfied with the realism of the portrait. As a result, Chartkov, out of frustration, slightly reworks and updates his other work - Psyche, and this option quite suits the important customer.

Pretty soon the artist comes into fashion. He acts according to a template: having grasped one expression, he simply changes types. Now Chartkov manages to satisfy various demands and fulfill many orders. Now he is rich and accepted in aristocratic houses , and he is accustomed to speaking harshly and arrogantly about other artists. People who knew Andrei before as a talented person are surprised where this spark, so noticeable at the beginning, could have gone.

Chartkov's epiphany

The artist behaves importantly, loves to teach young people and reproaches them for immorality. Over time, the now famous artist becomes a miser. But one day he is invited to the Academy of Arts to look at a painting sent from Italy. This painting belongs to the brush of one of Andrei’s former comrades. Seeing his perfection, he suddenly realizes the depth of his fall.

Chartkov drops everything and locks himself in the workshop to immerse himself in his work, but he achieves little. He is forced to constantly stop due to ignorance of the basics of painting, the study of which he abandoned at the beginning of his career as a popular artist. The main character of the story is consumed by a feeling of terrible envy. In order to come into contact with something beautiful again, he begins to buy the most exquisite works of art, spending all his money on their acquisition.

Being in a constant state of feverish excitement together with consumption leads Chartkov to a fever and an imminent terrible death. He could not hide from the old man’s eyes that seemed to be everywhere. Only after the funeral it becomes clear why the best paintings were bought: they were mercilessly destroyed.

Gogol “Portrait” summary by chapters

Gogol “Portrait” summary by chapters

“Portrait”
- a story by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol

Part 1 “Portrait” summary

A tragic story happened to the young talented artist Andrei Chartkov. He lived very poorly, but once he did not regret paying the last two kopecks for a painting he liked in Shchukin’s yard. It was a portrait of an old man in Asian clothes.

It seemed to Chartkov that the painting was painted by a famous master, but for some reason was not finished. The old man's eyes seemed alive.

At home, the artist found out: the owner came and demanded payment for housing. The young man immediately regretted that he had given his last money for the portrait. Chartkov plunged into thoughts about his poverty and life's injustice. He doesn’t even have money for a candle; he has to sit in the dark. And then the artist’s gaze fell on the portrait.

The old man’s “living” eyes looked out from the picture and frightened him. An inexplicable sinister force emanated from the portrait. Before going to bed, Chartkov looked at the portrait again. Once again it seemed to him that the old man’s eyes, illuminated by the moon, were looking intently into his soul. In fear, the artist threw a sheet over the portrait, but this did not help. The matter began to move, and the old man's gaze was everywhere.

Suddenly Chartkov saw that the sheet was lying on the floor, and the old man came out of the frame and sat down on his bed. In the Asian’s hand there was a bag of money with the inscription on it: “1000 chervonets.” Suddenly the bag fell out of the old man’s hands and rolled to the side. Chartkov tried to quietly take the money, but at that moment he woke up. For a long time he felt the pleasant weight of the bag of money in his hand.

In the morning the owner of the apartment came again. Having learned that there was no money, he offered Chartkov to pay with work. The owner was interested in the portrait of the old man. While examining it, he accidentally touched the frame, from which a bag with the inscription “1000 chervonets” fell out. After such luck, Chartkov immediately paid the owner of the apartment and moved out of his place.

For a long time the artist drove away bad thoughts about the old man and convinced himself that he had simply found a treasure. Overcoming a strong desire to buy brushes and paints with all the money, he rented a luxurious apartment on Nevsky that same day. Chartkov began to live in a new way. He began to dress fashionably and advertised in the newspaper for the services of an artist. The lady came first and ordered a portrait of her daughter. In his haste, Chartkov did not have time to remember his daughter’s facial features well and therefore the portrait did not turn out. The customer did not like the yellowness of her face and the circles under her eyes. Then Chartkov gave her his old work called “Psyche”, updating the picture a little. The minor conflict was resolved.

The artist began to receive orders. He paints many portraits, satisfying the desires of rich people. Chartkov is now received in the best aristocratic houses. But along with wealth, the young man himself changes, becoming tough and cynical. He speaks harshly and arrogantly about other masters. Chartkov criticizes everyone, does not recognize a single talent.

Those who knew Chartkov before are amazed at such dramatic changes in him. It is difficult to understand how a talented artist turned into a miser in such a short time. Anger and hatred now become Chartkov’s faithful companions.

One day a young man was invited to the Academy of Arts to see a painting by an old friend sent from Italy. And then Chartkov realized how low he had fallen, how insignificant his paintings were in comparison with the works of other artists.

Chartkov closes himself in the workshop and tries to rectify the situation. He immerses himself in his work, but is forced to constantly interrupt it due to basic gaps in knowledge that he neglected at the beginning of his artistic career. The master is overwhelmed with envy and anger. Chartkov begins to buy the best works from all over the world, but soon dies of consumption. The artist’s death was terrible - he saw the eyes of an old Asian man everywhere. Later it turned out that all the masterpieces on which Chartkov spent a huge fortune were destroyed by him.

Part II “Portrait” summary

Soon another part of the story became known, which happened to the young artist Andrei Chartkov. At an auction in St. Petersburg, among Chinese vases, paintings, old furniture and other things, a portrait of an old Asian man was sold, whose eyes looked like they were alive. When the price quadrupled, a certain artist B. claimed his rights to the painting. In confirmation, he told a story that happened to his father in Kolomna. Once upon a time there lived an Asian moneylender. He was huge and scary, like a demon. His terms seemed very favorable, but when the time came to pay, according to strange arithmetic calculations, the interest turned out to be huge, growing several times.

The fate of those who took money from the Asian was terrible. So, a young and fairly successful nobleman took a loan from a moneylender, after which negative changes occurred in his character. The matter ended in complete madness and the death of the nobleman. There was also a story with a girl whose boyfriend asked an Asian man for help. He had to take this step so that the bride's parents would give the go-ahead for their union. However, disastrous changes also occurred in the character of this person. The man was burned with terrible jealousy, he even attempted the life of his young wife, and then decided to commit suicide. And there were a lot of such stories told.

The artist's father B. painted temples, but for some reason he very often wanted to depict the spirit of darkness on canvas. One day a terrible neighbor, a moneylender, came to see him and asked him to paint a portrait so that he would look “as if alive.” The artist happily took on the job, but the better he got at the old man’s appearance, the more terrible and painful it became in his soul. The artist felt an incomprehensible fear that emanated from the portrait.

The master could not stand such stress and decided to refuse the order. But the old man begged to finish the portrait, saying that he would live in it after death. This frightened the artist even more. He ran away, and the moneylender died the next day.

Soon the artist noticed changes in himself: he began to envy and harm his students, and the eyes of an Asian moneylender began to appear in his paintings. Therefore, the artist’s father B. decided to burn the terrible portrait. But at the last moment this painting was begged by a friend who gave the painting to his nephew. He soon also got rid of the portrait.

The author of the ill-fated painting began to understand that in some incomprehensible way an Asian moneylender had possessed the portrait. The death of my relatives finally convinced me of this. The artist went to a monastery, and sent his eldest son to the Academy of Arts.

When the artist’s father B. took up his brush again, he painted one work for a whole year - “The Nativity of Jesus,” which was full of holiness and light. He wanted to atone for the fatal portrait.

Artist B. graduated from the Academy of Arts and before traveling to Italy, he went to visit his father. He told his son a terrible story about a moneylender. He asked the heir to find and destroy the portrait.

It took fifteen years to find the deadly canvas. Artist B. asked to give him the portrait in order to destroy it forever. People, after listening to this terrible story, agreed.

When everyone turned to the wall where the portrait hung, they saw with horror that the painting had disappeared. Maybe it was just stolen. But who knows…

Explanation of the ending

After some time, Chartkov’s story became somewhat clearer. One of the auctions took place in St. Petersburg, where, among antique pieces of furniture, Chinese vases and paintings, the attention of many visitors was attracted by an amazing portrait depicting an Asian man, whose eyes were painted with such skill that they looked as if they were alive. The bidding begins: the price of the canvas is growing rapidly. After it has been enlarged fourfold from the original, artist B. comes forward and declares that he has special rights to this painting. To confirm his words, he tells a story that happened to his father.

The artist's story

First, B. outlines Kolomna - the part of the city where his family once lived, and next door there is a mysterious moneylender. Its description:

• giant growth;
• Asian appearance;
• scary look.

The moneylender did not refuse a loan to anyone - neither a poor old woman nor a wasteful aristocrat. The interest he charged was small and the payment terms were very convenient, but due to incomprehensible arithmetic calculations, the amount that had to be returned increased incredibly, and an ominous fate awaited those who received the money personally from the hands of the Asian. B. tells several stories as an example:

• The brilliant young nobleman, having received money from a moneylender, soon changed beyond recognition. His new vile character brought upon him the wrath of the empress: soon the young man went mad and died.
• Parents prevented the couple in love from marrying because of the upset state of affairs of the groom. For the sake of a wedding with a beautiful girl, her chosen one makes a loan from an Asian man. In one year, family life was poisoned by whims, intolerance and jealousy, which suddenly arose in the previously noble character of the husband. He even went so far as to make an attempt on his wife’s life, and then committed suicide.

Then B. tells the story of his father, a self-taught artist, who decided to paint a picture depicting the spirit of darkness. He often glanced towards the scary neighbor, imagining his image on the canvas. One day the old man himself came to Father B. and directly demanded to draw a portrait of himself, and in such a way that he would look “exactly like a living person” in the picture.

The father took up the task with pleasure, but the more lively the eyes appeared in the portrait, the more painful a feeling took possession of him. He became so disgusted with his work that he refused to continue writing, despite the Asian's pleas. When the old man began to explain that he intended to supernaturally preserve his life in the portrait after death, Father B. was completely frightened and ran away. The next day the moneylender died, and the unfinished canvas was returned by his maid.

Completion of the story

Gradually, Father B. begins to notice changes in himself for the worse. He harms his student out of envy, and Asian eyes begin to appear in his paintings. He decides to burn the terrible painting, but gives in to his friend’s request and gives the canvas to him. The new owner soon gives the portrait to his nephew, but he also quickly gets rid of it.

Father B. comes to the realization that part of the moneylender’s soul is really in the terrible portrait. The deaths of B.'s wife, daughter and little brother finally convince him of this. He sends his eldest son to the Academy of Arts, and he himself lives in a monastery, observing all the strictures. Finally, his soul feels enlightened, and the artist takes up his brushes again.

He works for a whole year on a painting called “The Nativity of Jesus,” which turns out wonderful and full of holiness. With his son, who came to see him before his trip to Italy, the father shares his thoughts about art and gives instructions, among which is to find and destroy the portrait of a malicious moneylender.

B. ends his story with the message that after a fifteen-year search, he will be able to fulfill his father’s order , since the painting from the auction is the desired canvas. But when he and the audience turn towards the portrait, it turns out that he has disappeared. This short retelling can be used in a reader's diary.

Plot

The young artist Chartkov, living in poverty, despite the fact that he has nothing to pay for the rent of an apartment, buys for two kopecks a portrait of an unknown person - an old man in Asian clothes, who attracted his attention because the eyes of the person depicted look completely lifelike. . Arriving home, he cannot get rid of the impression that the old man is looking at him; at night Chartkov has nightmares associated with the portrait. In one of the dreams, an old man comes out of a frame with a bag full of money, and the artist manages to grab one package with the inscription “1000 chervonets.” In the morning, when the owner of the apartment and the policeman appear, demanding payment for the apartment from Chartkov, in the frame of the portrait exactly the same package is found that the artist saw in his nightmare.

Chartkov moves to a luxurious apartment on Nevsky Prospekt, advertises in the newspaper, and soon he has many customers. Chartkov becomes a fashionable artist, paints many portraits. He satisfies the needs of clients, but many of his former acquaintances notice that his talent, which was clearly evident before, has disappeared. Chartkov becomes a miser and a misanthrope. Having seen a painting by one of his former acquaintances at the exhibition, he realizes that his own works are actually far from perfect. Chartkov locks himself in his workshop and tries to create something similar, but he fails; then he begins to buy paintings and destroy them. Soon Chartkov goes crazy and suddenly dies.

After some time, at a certain auction, among other objects of art, a portrait of an Asian man, once bought by Chartkov, is exhibited. When the price increases significantly during the auction, artist B appears and declares that he has special rights to this painting. To support his words, he tells a story.

He describes a moneylender who once lived in St. Petersburg Kolomna, who was known for the fact that he could lend any amount on seemingly favorable terms, but as a result it always turned out that in fact he accrued huge interest. A deal with a moneylender invariably brought misfortune to his clients.

B.’s father, also an artist who lived nearby, received an order for a portrait from a hated moneylender, a stingy and lonely man. Since he had long been thinking about portraying the spirit of darkness in the guise of his neighbor, he accepted the order. However, while working on the portrait (in which the eyes are especially scary), the artist begins to experience an incomprehensible horror and eventually quits work and runs away from the customer’s house. The next day the moneylender dies, and the maid brings the unfinished portrait to the artist. Over time, the artist begins to feel strange changes in himself. He wants to burn the portrait, but his friend dissuades him and takes it for himself; then he sells it to his nephew. Each owner of the portrait is haunted by misfortunes, and its creator’s wife, daughter and son soon die. Then the artist, realizing that part of the old man’s soul had entered the portrait, sends his surviving eldest son to the Academy of Arts, and he himself goes to a monastery, where after some time of leading a strict life and self-sacrifice, he paints the Nativity of Christ, and his work turns out to be filled with holiness. The son visits him in the monastery, and the father tells him some instructions and thoughts about art, and also bequeaths him to find the portrait and destroy it.

Artist B. introduces himself as the son of the author of the portrait and says that after many years of searching he finally found the painting. But when he, and with him the auction visitors, turns to the wall where the canvas hung, it turns out that the portrait has disappeared.

Reader reviews

Gogol's story is interesting for both schoolchildren and adults. Some reviews:

What inspired me most in Gogol’s story “Portrait” was the story about the artist - the father of character B. He managed to pull himself together and did not completely succumb to the temptations of the moneylender. The artist was not spared misfortunes, but a righteous life helped him regain his talent. And most importantly, he was concerned about the fate of other people who might suffer from the damned portrait.

Nikolai

I tried to attract a child who is now studying the works of N.V. Gogol at school. I opened his story “Portrait” in order to later describe in detail the contents of my daughter, and could not stop until I read the book completely. It’s amazing how subtly the writer analyzes the problem of the incompatibility of creativity and money, which is quite close to me: often you have to make concessions to the customer for the sake of creativity. So the problem raised by the author almost two hundred years ago is still troubling today.

Galina

I have always been interested in mystical subjects, especially those related to paintings.
That’s why I really liked “Portrait,” which we took as part of the school curriculum, although that’s not the essence of the book, of course. Chartkov's story shows how easy it is to lose talent, seduced by the glitter of wealth. A detailed analysis of the book with quotes helped me understand what problems Gogol poses in the story “Portrait”. Natalia