Works depicting religious scenes constitute quite an important part of the collection of the conductor, composer, and avid collector Nikolai Golovanov. The painting by Mikhail Nesterov “Angel of Sorrow” is a vivid confirmation of that.
The musician and the artist met back in the days when Golovanov worked as a cantor of the Church of the Intercession, built by Alexey Shchusev on the territory of the Martha and Mary Convent. It just so happened that Mikhail Nesterov painted the vaults and interiors of the Church of the Intercession at the time. The history has also preserved heartfelt memories of how the two of them played a piano duo for the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna herself.
Nesterov’s work was created for the church of Peter the Metropolitan in Novaya Chertoriya, Volyn Governorate. It was ordered by the owner of the estate, Natalya Ivanovna Orzhevskaya, who wanted to perpetuate the memory of her husband, Governor Pyotr Vasilyevich Orzhevsky, who passed away in 1897. The painting of the angel of sorrow became one of the first images for the newly-opened church in Novaya Chertoriya. The work was initially supposed to be done by mosaicists in Italy, but Natalya Orzhevskaya eventually chose a Saint Petersburg mosaic workshop, as their pieces reminded her of those she had seen in ancient churches. Those mosaics, in her opinion, gave the impression of something very primitive and naive and yet everlasting.
The sketch of the mosaic “Angel of Sorrow” was located in the chapel under the temple, which was used for funerals. When the work was in process, Mikhail Nesterov was hopelessly in love with the young Lyolya — Yelena Prakhova, the daughter of the Russian art historian Adrian Prakhov, who headed the building committee of the Saint Volodymyr’s Cathedral in Kyiv. It was her image that became a source of inspiration for the artist. He depicted his beloved in the form of Alkonost, a mythical bird of paradise. The picture is distinguished by a cold and restrained color palette, an accentuated paleness of the face, and a humble and slightly tense posture.
Yelena Prakhova inspired others besides Mikhail Nesterov. Many artists were drawn to her delicate beauty and dreamed of capturing it. Her image would appear repeatedly in the paintings by Viktor Vasnetsov and Mikhail Vrubel. A while later, Nesterov decided to paint a portrait of Saint Barbara, and Lyolechka Prakhova became an inspiration once again. The image of Saint Barbara also served as a source of ideas for Golovanov to create the image of the Maiden Fevroniya from Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera “The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh”.
The musician and the artist met back in the days when Golovanov worked as a cantor of the Church of the Intercession, built by Alexey Shchusev on the territory of the Martha and Mary Convent. It just so happened that Mikhail Nesterov painted the vaults and interiors of the Church of the Intercession at the time. The history has also preserved heartfelt memories of how the two of them played a piano duo for the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna herself.
Nesterov’s work was created for the church of Peter the Metropolitan in Novaya Chertoriya, Volyn Governorate. It was ordered by the owner of the estate, Natalya Ivanovna Orzhevskaya, who wanted to perpetuate the memory of her husband, Governor Pyotr Vasilyevich Orzhevsky, who passed away in 1897. The painting of the angel of sorrow became one of the first images for the newly-opened church in Novaya Chertoriya. The work was initially supposed to be done by mosaicists in Italy, but Natalya Orzhevskaya eventually chose a Saint Petersburg mosaic workshop, as their pieces reminded her of those she had seen in ancient churches. Those mosaics, in her opinion, gave the impression of something very primitive and naive and yet everlasting.
The sketch of the mosaic “Angel of Sorrow” was located in the chapel under the temple, which was used for funerals. When the work was in process, Mikhail Nesterov was hopelessly in love with the young Lyolya — Yelena Prakhova, the daughter of the Russian art historian Adrian Prakhov, who headed the building committee of the Saint Volodymyr’s Cathedral in Kyiv. It was her image that became a source of inspiration for the artist. He depicted his beloved in the form of Alkonost, a mythical bird of paradise. The picture is distinguished by a cold and restrained color palette, an accentuated paleness of the face, and a humble and slightly tense posture.
Yelena Prakhova inspired others besides Mikhail Nesterov. Many artists were drawn to her delicate beauty and dreamed of capturing it. Her image would appear repeatedly in the paintings by Viktor Vasnetsov and Mikhail Vrubel. A while later, Nesterov decided to paint a portrait of Saint Barbara, and Lyolechka Prakhova became an inspiration once again. The image of Saint Barbara also served as a source of ideas for Golovanov to create the image of the Maiden Fevroniya from Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera “The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh”.
