Russian artists-peredvizhniki loved to address the theme of unequal marriage and various marital misadventures. One of the most famous paintings of this kind was the work of Adrian Markovich Volkov "Interrupted Engagement", which at the time made a lot of noise and became truly scandalous. We will talk about the background of everything depicted in the painting and about the artist's work in this article.
Adrian Volkov. The Interrupted Engagement
Volkov, who was in good standing at the Academy of Arts and had been repeatedly awarded silver medals, was offered to paint a picture on the relatively harmless subject of "The Bride's Conspiracy." But he decided to "spice things up" and developed the story in the most scandalous direction. The guy decided to marry the daughter of a rich merchant for convenience in order to improve his financial situation. However, at the most inopportune moment, a girl with a baby in her arms showed up in the room, whom he seduced, but never married.
The academics did not appreciate such a radical picture, but the public was delighted: bold, resourceful and topical. The problems of society are expressed, the "humiliated and insulted" are shown, and the rich and noble look ridiculous and from an unsightly side - all quite in the spirit of the Itinerants.
Even the rich interior of the merchant's house: an expensive crystal chandelier, parquet floors, paintings on the walls, stucco on the ceiling testify to wealth rather than to any good taste. This is especially noticeable in the bride's wedding dress: a lot of different jewelry - earrings, a gold bracelet, a pearl necklace, a gold brooch, everything is clearly in excess.
"The Interrupted Engagement". fragment
But her father with a wide, bushy beard is dressed very modestly. But he is probably an Old Believer, maybe even a former peasant who managed, thanks to luck and practical acumen, to "get ahead in life." However, the old ideas about proper clothing have not gone anywhere, and it was not accepted among the Old Believers to dress "expensively and richly."The family is very religious, like all Old Believer families. There are several icons hanging in the room, and a clergyman is invited to the engagement, which is not at all necessary, they usually did without them, an engagement is not a wedding ceremony. But merchants invited, and this was also repeatedly ridiculed in paintings, for example, by the Itinerant Nevrev.
Nikolay Nevrev "Protodeacon proclaiming longevity at a merchant's name day"
The groom is probably an impoverished nobleman, and was chosen for his daughter by her father, who intended to become related to a nobleman through such a marriage and raise his social status.
"The Interrupted Engagement". fragment
Such an attempt to rise “from rags to riches” was repeatedly ridiculed by all the Itinerants; one can recall the painting “The Major’s Courtship”.
Pavel Fedotov. The Major's Courtship
By the way, at first Volkov decided to paint him as an officer, and the dishonored girl with a baby showed up at the wedding. That is, the idea was even sharper and more piquant, but then the artist was probably afraid of negative reviews from critics and "lowered the temperature." Of course, the groom himself is only interested in the merchant's money, and not his daughter, he treats her with some disdain, it is no coincidence that he took a mistress "on the side", so there is no talk of any love here.
"The Interrupted Engagement". fragment
Well, who is she, this mistress, why does she need to expose herself to public shame? She came with her father, presumably a minor official, and this was largely a step of desperation, a desire to finally spite the groom and tell the whole unsightly truth about him. Surely everyone already knows about her illegitimate child, and she did not want to give the baby to an orphanage. The father decided to "understand and forgive" everything, most likely, his daughter is his only and favorite. He sincerely sympathizes with her, but understands that there is nothing more to take from this groom: he will not marry, and the child will already be considered illegitimate. He has no money, only debts, it is not by chance that he decided to marry the daughter of a merchant.
Vladimir Makovsky. "Choosing a Dowry".
After everything that had happened, there was no talk of love: the new groom had had his way with her and then abandoned her, and it would have been impossible to create a full-fledged family anyway. And his daughter's situation was desperate: she would have to endure ridicule and disdainful looks, and it would be problematic for her to marry with a child. The child would receive the status of an illegitimate child, the doors to decent gymnasiums and higher educational institutions would be closed to him, and he could not count on his father's inheritance, nor even on his mother's.
Vasily Pukirev. "Interrupted Wedding"
In fact, everyone in this picture is at a loss: the groom's reputation is completely ruined, the merchant will have to find a new betrothed for his daughter, and at the same time endure ridicule regarding his unsuccessful choice of a groom for his daughter. Well, the worst thing was for the groom's mistress and her father: revenge was accomplished, it certainly brought some moral satisfaction, but it is too little to cope with all the upcoming problems.
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