Recent Comments
benshemuel on The Sirens of the Hotel L… lynndheller on The Sirens of the Hotel L… james bleess on Levitan at the Tretyakov … Maria Fitzpatrick on Chekhov Uncensored Serge Gregory on Levitan Proposes
Tag Archives: Isaac Levitan
Averil King’s “Isaak Levitan: Lyrical Landscape”
Until my book comes out in the fall of 2015, King’s book is the only readily available work in English on Levitan. It was first published in 2004, expanded in a beautiful new edition by the Antique Collectors’ Club in … Continue reading
Sophia Kuvshinnikova’s Diary
People had widely divergent opinions of Sophia Kuvshinnikova, who was Levitan’s mistress from sometime in the late 1880s until 1894. Chekhov found her to be a social gadfly and couldn’t forgive her for cuckolding her husband, a hard-working and unassuming … Continue reading
Status Report
Since I’ve been silent for a while, I thought now would be a good time to write about my progress. I’ve just finished writing the first draft of Chapter 8, which covers the very tumultuous yet creatively productive year 1895. … Continue reading
Pavel Chekhov’s Diary
One of the most valuable primary sources from Chekhov’s Melikhovo years (1892-1898) is the diary kept by his father, Pavel Egorovich Chekhov. His children found his laconic, seemingly random entries to be unintentionally hilarious. Here’s a sample: September 7, 1894: … Continue reading
Chekhov’s Restaurants
The Hermitage, located on the corner of Petrovsky Boulevard and Neglinnaya Street, was one of Moscow’s most fashionable restaurants and a favorite among Chekhov’s circle of friends. On February 6, 1895 Maria Chekhova found herself having dinner with the writer … Continue reading
Posted in Circle of Friends, Homes and Museums
Tagged Anton Chekhov, Isaac Levitan, Maria Chekhova
Leave a comment
Melikhovo
By early 1892 Chekhov had a sufficiently substantial income to finally act on his long-standing desire to buy a country home. In February, on his behalf, his brother Mikhail bought Melikhovo, nearly 600 acres of birch woods and pasture with … Continue reading
Posted in Homes and Museums, Melikhovo
Tagged Anton Chekhov, Isaac Levitan, Melikhovo
Leave a comment
Abramtsevo
In early June 1885, Levitan left Chekhov’s dacha at Babkino for Savva Mamontov’s estate at Abramtsevo accompanied by the painter Victor Vasnetsov. The railroad baron Mamontov had turned Abramtsevo, located about 40 miles from Moscow, into an artist’s colony. The … Continue reading
Levitan Meets Tolstoy
Among the unpublished memoirs at the Tretyakov Gallery archive, I came across an interesting anecdote about how Levitan once met Tolstoy, albeit very briefly. In the late 1880’s Levitan was living, on and off, in a furnished room in the … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, Circle of Friends
Tagged Isaac Levitan, Landscape art, Leo Tolstoy, Tretyakov Gallery
Leave a comment
Korsh’s Private Theatre
In April 1892 Levitan ran into Chekhov in front of Korsh’s Theatre and demanded an explanation why the writer had caricatured him and his mistress Sophia Kuvshinikova in his story “The Grasshopper.” Chekhov sharply replied that he didn’t owe him … Continue reading
Posted in Homes and Museums, Uncategorized
Tagged Anton Chekhov, Isaac Levitan, Korsh's Theatre
1 Comment
Levitan at the Tretyakov Gallery
I decided to take a break from the archives and go see the Levitan paintings at the Tretyakov. In 1879 the business magnate and art patron Pavel Tretyakov paid 100 rubles for Levitan’s painting “Autumn Day, Sokolniki,” which he saw … Continue reading
Antosha and Levitasha 