Pushkin Nikolay Ge (1831-1894)

Description of the painting "Pushkin in the Village of Mikhailovsky" by Nikolai Ge

Pushkin in the village of Mikhailovsky. This painting depicts a frame from a rather long period of Alexander Pushkin’s residence in the village of Mikhailovskoye, which was reflected in his work.  The painting takes us to a large bright room of Alexander Sergeyevich’s house. The composition is built in the direction from the corner of the room. In the corner of the room in the background is a tiled fireplace. The weather outside the window is probably very warm - the fireplace is not flooded, no ash and ash can be seen, most likely summer or autumn. The room is not overcrowded with furniture and interior details, however, it looks nice and expensive. Behind the screen you can see a shelf full of books. An icon hangs lonely on the left wall. The sun’s rays penetrate into the room from a window that is not in the composition. They illuminate the icon and the space of the room behind Pushkin’s back. In the background, Arina Rodionovna is sitting on the sofa. She is knitting in her hands but she has broken away from her needlework to listen attentively to Alexander Sergeyevich’s poetry. She seems to stand still and hold her breath - she is so worried about her pupil. In the center of the composition, of course, the poet. He holds a stack of paper and recites his poems. Beside him, in a tall blue armchair, sits a man. It is impossible to guess who exactly this gentleman is. But Alexander Sergeyevich is clearly waiting for an evaluation of his work. The opinion of this man is important to him. The man in the armchair is listening to Pushkin’s poems. You can understand from the contented expression on his face that he enjoys Pushkin’s work. On the face of the nurse barely visible smile - she also adopted the mood of their guest and sincerely happy for the successful outcome of the meeting. And Alexander Sergeyevich continued to create - after all, it was in Mikhailovskoye that most of his works were written.