Anna Karenina - Part 5

Mihailov sold Vronsky his picture, and agreed to paint a

portrait of Anna. On the day fixed he came and began the work.

From the fifth sitting the portrait impressed everyone,

especially Vronsky, not only by its resemblance, but by its

characteristic beauty. It was strange how Mihailov could have

discovered just her characteristic beauty. "One needs to know

and love her as I have loved her to discover the very sweetest

expression of her soul," Vronsky thought, though it was only from

this portrait that he had himself learned this sweetest

expression of her soul. But the expression was so true that he,

and others too, fancied they had long known it.

"I have been struggling on for ever so long without doing

anything," he said of his own portrait of her, "and he just

looked and painted it. That's where technique comes in."

"That will come," was the consoling reassurance given him by

Golenishtchev, in whose view Vronsky had both talent, and what

was most important, culture, giving him a wider outlook on art.

Golenishtchev's faith in Vronsky's talent was propped up by his

own need of Vronsky's sympathy and approval for his own articles

and ideas, and he felt that the praise and support must be

mutual.

In another man's house, and especially in Vronsky's palazzo,

Mihailov was quite a different man from what he was in his

studio. He behaved with hostile courtesy, as though he were

afraid of coming closer to people he did not respect. He called

Vronsky "your excellency," and notwithstanding Anna's and

Vronsky's invitations, he would never stay to dinner, nor come

except for the sittings. Anna was even more friendly to him than

to other people, and was very grateful for her portrait. Vronsky

was more than cordial with him, and was obviously interested to

know the artist's opinion of his picture. Golenishtchev never

let slip an opportunity of instilling sound ideas about art into

Mihailov. But Mihailov remained equally chilly to all of them.

Anna was aware from his eyes that he liked looking at her, but he

avoided conversation with her. Vronsky's talk about his painting

he met with stubborn silence, and he was as stubbornly silent

when he was shown Vronsky's picture. He was unmistakably bored

by Golenishtchev's conversation, and he did not attempt to oppose

him.

Altogether Mihailov, with his reserved and disagreeable, as it

were, hostile attitude, was quite disliked by them as they got to

know him better; and they were glad when the sittings were over,

and they were left with a magnificent portrait in their

possession, and he gave up coming. Golenishtchev was the first

to give expression to an idea that had occurred to all of them,

which was that Mihailov was simply jealous of Vronsky.