Artists, as representatives of the creative intelligentsia are often people who are finely sensitive and emotional - with a cold heart would not have been able to write many of their masterpieces, and therefore often fell into various love stories, often quite unpleasant for themselves. The public also added fuel to the fire - if an artist paints a picture from a nude model, then she must be a mistress, and the personal lives of some famous painters were discussed much more readily than their paintings. Suffice it to remember the master of performance art Salvador Dali - his statements and unconventional actions often ordinary people discussed more than surrealist paintings of the artist, because they were often completely incomprehensible. But Dali worked so hard for his name that eventually the name began to work for him and towards the end of his life, when he began to write fewer paintings, his financial situation only improved.
Salvador Dali.
However, many artists, beyond their will, were involved in quite unpleasant for them stories, often even scandalous and damaging to their reputation. We will talk about them in this article.
In 1884, the artist John Singer Sargent presented at the Paris Salon a painting of Madame X. The model was a very beautiful lady Virginie Gautreau, for the opportunity to paint her portrait, artists were ready for much, and lined up for the sake of her posing. Sargent offered Virginie Gautreau to write a portrait, and she happily agreed, because he was already quite a famous artist, and her image at the exhibition, albeit under the anonymous name of Madame X, should add fame and gain access to the high society, where she has long dreamed of breaking through.
John Singer Sargent. Portrait of Madame X.
For the sake of piquancy Sargent persuaded Gautreau to pose in a dress with a lowered strapless, and this was just and that was a big mistake. Visitors to the Parisian salon such a step was not appreciated: "how can a well-mannered lady pose in such a way in front of the artist, surely they connect something more than purely business relations model and the artist. Gotro - her portrait was called the embodiment of vulgarity and tastelessness, the high society had to forget for a while.
Sargent himself with shame left Paris, he hid the picture in the farthest closet, however, later rewrote it, returning the straps from the dress in place. But time has put everything in its place. Subsequently, it was the portrait of Madame Gautreau, he called his best painting, and 30 years later sold it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And the painting is indeed a model of elegance and beauty, it is only a pity that in the beginning because of it was spent so many nerve cells of both Sargent and Virginie Gautreau.
Austrian artist Oskar Kokoschka fell madly in love with Austrian artist and muse of creative people Alma Mahler. This passion was all-consuming, on the verge of madness. The artist wrote her hundreds of letters, tirelessly painted her portraits. But Alma Mahler bored with such a stormy manifestation of feelings, she was tired of them and therefore broke with Oscar relations. With grief he went to the First World War, was there severely wounded, but miraculously survived.
Oscar Kokoschka. Bride of the Wind
And in 1919 he ordered a rag doll, very similar to Alma Mahler, bought clothes for her, down to her underwear and constantly went with her to all social events. He sat in the theater box with this doll, fed her with a spoon, and had lengthy conversations. But gradually he got tired of it all, and one day he destroyed it, which was probably only for the good of the mental health of the artist. Subsequently, he married another woman and maintained relations with her for over 40 years, that love was quiet and peaceful, perhaps because he lived so long - 94 years.
In 1948, the American artist Andrew Newell Wyeth painted a whole series of portraits under the general heading Helga. This was a Prussian girl who lived nearby and posed for the artist for 15 years.
Andrew Wyeth. Braids. (from the "Helga" series)
Andrew painted her dressed and naked, she was his muse and source of inspiration. Except that Wyeth himself was married, however, the relationship with his wife Betsy he had far from the best - in fact, she turned into his manager, negotiated with potential buyers of paintings and organized exhibitions. And Wyeth completely went into painting, whole days spent writing paintings, so that Betsy was what to sell and exhibit. At some point, by the artist's own admission, he turned "into a machine for making money". And at that moment in his life appeared Helga. Everyone already knew about their relationship, and Betsy told journalists: "it's love".
Andrew Wyeth. Daydreams
But after 15 years, Helga had ceased to inspire Wyeth, maybe her beauty had faded, or maybe they just got bored with each other. Relationships without marriage, as Wyeth himself wanted - according to him, the artist should never marry, yet ended with Helga's depression. Andrew periodically lived with her, paid for her treatment in one of the best clinics, but all these were already attempts to make a good mine at a bad game, and Andrew himself began to be inspired by new sitters - younger and prettier. His friends said: "Andrew perfectly able to get along with people, feels affection for them, but never love. Perhaps the only love for Andrew Wyeth was painting, and everything else - just a supplement to it.
Russian artist Orest Kiprensky gained fame and glory quickly, soon he was talked about as a brilliant portraitist, although he personally always wanted to create historical paintings. But he was very envious - he envied Raphael, the fact that he could never reach his level of skill, his more famous and successful contemporaries. Gradually his popularity waned, and Kiprensky himself began to abuse alcohol.
Orestes Kiprensky. A young gardener.
And then there was an incident that cast a shadow on the reputation of the artist and give reason to suspect him of a terrible crime. In 1823, after the return of Kiprensky in Russia crawled bad rumors. According to them, in the studio of the artist found the body of a model, which was wrapped in canvas, doused with kerosene and burned. Perhaps it did not burn completely and traces of the crime could not hide. Kiprensky accused the servant of everything, there was no direct evidence of his guilt, so he was not convicted. But nevertheless, there is no evidence and unconditional innocence of Kiprensky, and what really happened there, and remained a mystery.
Orestes Kiprensky. A girl in a poppy wreath with a carnation in her hand.
It is said that the murdered was his roommate, which added fuel to the fire and gave reason for all sorts of assumptions. By the way, she had a 10-year-old daughter, which Kiprensky later, when she grew up, married. But only he lived with her not long - a few years later Kiprensky died.
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