Nana by Marcel Suchorowsky: the History of Russian Empire's Most
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UDC 7.07:330.1]:947.7-25“18/20” DOI: 10.18523/2617-8907.2019.2.98-104 Nadiia Pavlichenko NANA BY MARCEL SUCHOROWSKY: THE HISTORY OF RUSSIAN EMPIRE’S MOST EXPENSIVE PAINTING The article describes the story of painting Nana (1881) by Marcel Suchorowsky known as the most expensive painting sold by a painter in the Russian Empire. But the art piece differs a lot from the general line of the local art market situation, which was defined by special institutions, such as the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg. The main aspects are taken into consideration, such as: critical analysis of the painting, the story of the plot, which refers to Émile Zola’s novel Nana, the painter’s individual and innovative exposition strategy, etc. The history of Nana and its special exhibitions in Europe and the USA through the period of 1981–2012 are described. Reports in the USA periodics serve as a special source of analysis, as long as they allow tracing Nana’s movements and public interest. It was exhibited in the “panorama” style using special lightning and additional objects to imitate the three-dimension space and thus became a popular entertainment. Painting Nana is a very interesting cultural phenomenon as long as it obtained notorious glory due to its provocative plot and an excellent academic technique. It is not only the surprising price, but public reaction that is the most important. Keywords: Marcel Suchorowsky, Nana, relisting painting, panorama exhibition, art market. Art market history proves that each new stunning from the beginning until nowadays and to depict its money record for selling an art piece reveals perception in society. interesting inner processes and marks changes not The analysis of the main authoritative body in only in market itself, but both in society and culture. the space of the art market of those times is Nana (1881) by Marcel Suchorowsky is the most indispensable. Art life in Europe through the late expensive art piece known in late 19th century in the 17th till the end of the 19th centuries was under a total Russian Empire. It was studied by Dmitriy control of the Academies of Fine Art. Olga Dubova Severyuhin (2008), one of the first scientists in the proposes to perceive an Academy as a social post-soviet period, who began to analyze the art institution that naturally replaces the guilds and market history. Unlike Western researchers for corresponds to the craft tradition of organizing whom the study of the art market problems has been artistic life (Dubova 2009, 235). This means that an integral part of the development of the arts and since the Academy’s appearance it had become a sciences, and for any art critic awareness of the major factor in the space of the art market and economic situation is one of the traditional skills, overgrew other legitimizing institutions, such as the the post-soviet science only begins talking about the well known Paris Salon (France). Based on the influence on and role of practical economic factors order of Louis XIV in 1653, the Paris Salon under in the realm of culture and art. But Dmitriy the Academy had been playing a key role in the Severyuhin gives only brief history of Nana’s artistic life of the country for the next two centuries. appearance and exceptional success at the art- The participation in its exhibitions was obliged for market. No other serious research on this topic was all the painters who wanted to gain popularity. made. We may name Donald S. Vogel’s book Selection of works was carried out by a special jury Memories and Images: the World of Donald Vogel formed by the authorities. and Valley House Gallery, where the further story of Due to the centralization of artistic forces in one Nana after leaving the Russian Empire is described. environment, the Academy regulated all aspects of The main purpose of particular research is to the artistic space. They dictated the formal, stylistic, describe history of Nana by Marcel Suchorowsky, and genre aspects of artworks, determined their known as the most expensive art piece sold by artistic value, and, consequently, the commercial painter in the Russian Empire; to trace its history success of the artist. Academic theory of creativity from the Russian Empire through Europe to the USA paid a great attention to professional perfection, © Nadiia Pavlichenko, 2019 Nadiia Pavlichenko. Nana by Marcel Suchorowsky: The History of Russian Empire’s Most Expensive Painting 99 skill, and virtuosity of technique. Such a position of 2008b, 431). This was indeed a scandalous situation the classical art market may be understood in the that surprised the professional art market and common sense even at modern times as a general public. To understand why this artwork was fundamental principle to judge works of art the way so successful we need to consider a few aspects. how “good” it is performed in relation to accepted First of all, the plot of the painting was new and standards of the legitimate authority. In this we see provocative. Émile Zola’s Nana was first published what Pierre Bourdieu stated thinking about the in periodicals as one of a sequence of 20 novels that principles of differentiation regarded as most composed Rougon-Macquart series. First chapters legitimate by an autonomous cultural field: were published in October, 1879, and the final part in February 1880. However, the main heroine first Apart from laying bare the desire to exclude those appeared in the earlier novel L’Assommoir in 1877 as artists suspected of submitting to external demands, the a young girl, daughter of an abusive drunk. She lives affirmation of the primacy of form over function, of the in the slums of Paris and finally has no better choice mode of representation over the object of representation, than begin a life of prostitution. Nana tells the further is the most specific expression of the field’s claim to story of title character Anna “Nana” Coupeau as she produce and impose the principles of a properly rises from an untalented operetta actress to a high- cultural legitimacy regarding both the production and class prostitute. The story takes place during the last the reception of an art-work (Bourdieu 1984). three years of the French Second Empire (1867– 1870). Zola does not describe her appearance in As a result, on the basis of the evaluation details, only states that she is redhead and beautiful. It principle used by the Academy, a work of art should is her character and influence that she has on men that be embodied in accordance with the methodological is important. Nana is in the first place “a disturbing observance of the system of recognized rules and woman with all the impulsive madness of her sex, evaluated accordingly. opening the gates of the unknown world of desire” We notice the same situation in the Russian (Zola 1992). Nana destroys every man she deals with, Empire, where the Imperial Academy of Arts in taking all their money, playing with their feelings and Saint Petersburg was the one and only ruler of the hopes, driving many of them to ruin and even suicide. art field. Considering stated above, it is understood Her impact on many rich and powerful men is that the plots of the most respected artworks were absolute and destructive. The story ends with Nana’s either historical or mythological, and artworks were death because of smallpox, as if her true nature mostly of a big size and sophisticated composition. concealed by her physical beauty has finally come to For example, famous The Last Day of Pompeii the surface with ugly cankered spots. The start of the (1833, 4.56×6.51 m large) by Karl Bryullov (sold Franco-Prussian War and the end of the Second for 25 000 rubles to A. Demydov, the Duke of San- Empire serve as an expressive decoration to the story Donato) described the eruption of Mount Vesuvius end of a real femme fatale. Tragic and topical, Zola’s (in 79 A.D.), disastrous volcano’s steam and fire, novel was an immediate success and notorious glory, falling sculptures of ancient gods and running and the word “nana” gained the meaning “a mildly people. Another famous art piece, the tragic painting rude French term for a woman comparable to broad” Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 16 November, in contemporary French (Wikipedia). 1581, (1885, 1.99×2.54 m) by Ilya Repin was bought The French language was common for the by Pavel Tretyakov for his famous gallery for Russian Empire’s aristocracy since Catherine II, 15 000 rubles. One of the most expensive art pieces and new French literature was quite popular. The The Conquest of Siberia by Yermak Timofeyevich Russian translation of the novel Nana appeared the (1895, 5.99×2.85 m large) by Vasily Surikov gloried same year as it was fully published in France in the expansion of the Russian Empire and was bought 1880, also in periodicals, such as the newspapers by Emperor Alexander III for 40 000 rubles. In Novoe Vremia (New Time) and Novosti (News) and these circumstances, the biggest surprise is that the in the magazine Slovo (Word). By the end of 1880, most expensive art piece sold in the Russian Empire the novel was published in St. Petersburg as a full is a comparably medium painting (1.8×2.7 m large) book. Although the novel was cut short due to which describes a laying naked woman. She is not censorship, it was still provocative. Venice or any other “proper” lady to be seen naked Given the mentioned above, Marcel Suchorowsky in public.