Anna Karenina - Part 5

"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 us take Ivanov. I imagine that if Christ is brought down to

the level of an historical character, it would have been better

for Ivanov to select some other historical subject, fresh,

untouched."

"But if this is the greatest subject presented to art?"