But Aleksandra’s death has changed Vladimir. He’s no longer a jack-of-all-trades. He’s no longer satisfied with being the feather on a dart, a mere adornment. He wants to be a dart himself, or a sword, or a bullet. He begins plotting with Clementine.

31. The Critics Examine the Portrait

31. The Critics Examine the Portrait

Three months after Bloody Sunday—things move slowly at the palace—James Schmidt, the assistant to the curator at the Hermitage, is the first to come and see the portrait of Anna Karenina. He examines the canvas in silence, but he can’t hide his enthusiasm. When Claudia reports back to Sergei (omitting his visible enthusiasm, which is not a lie because Schmidt didn’t say one word), her husband thinks, They won’t buy it, and is relieved. He still finds the idea that the painting might be exhibited repugnant.

The Hermitage sends a second visitor, artist and curator Ernest Liphart, but not immediately—as mentioned, things at the palace are moving slowly and inefficiently, paralyzing the institutions that rely on it. Perhaps because of the climate—it’s springtime already—Sergei likes the idea of speaking with him. And because he’s familiar with Liphart’s portraits and paintings, Sergei thinks the canvas won’t be of any interest to him; courtly art is not his cup of tea.

They invite him to dine. Sergei and his guest chat about opera, they’re both ardent enthusiasts, and Claudia discusses costume design with him.

After their postprandial chat, Claudia takes him to see Mikhailov’s painting, and Liphart waxes lyrical about its many charms.

The third visit occurs shortly thereafter. It’s Ivan Vsevolozhsky, director of the Hermitage, who says nothing, goes directly about his business, and leaves after examining the portrait for a long while.

All three visitors are extremely keen. They note the painting’s unique features, its technical perfection, and its understanding of the model; they compare it (both verbally and in their written communications with the tsar) to Tolstoy’s novel, declaring the portrait to be superior. The painter’s psychological understanding of his subject and his vision are so deep that there’s nothing in the portrait that doesn’t express the woman herself…. When Ivan Vsevolozhsky gives his opinion, he says that when he first set eyes on the painting, his initial thought was, “Get up and walk!”