Label Text:
This print provides the series’ title: the inscription reads “An Artist’s Tale—The House with the Mezzanine,” which is the title of Anton Chekhov’s story. In Russia, “mezzanine” refers to a low addition to a building, which sits like a small hut on the roof. Mezzanines were particularly popular in the nineteenth century, when they adorned mansions and manors.
Vassiliev shares the view of the house only through an oval shape, allowing just a glance into the story’s realm. The oval appears to be consciously chosen; it reflects a century-old painting tradition, thereby leading the viewer into Chekhov’s era. With the deep black of the surrounding area, the artist emphasizes the distance between Chekhov’s pre-revolutionary epoch and his own present. The long blades of grass indicate the rural setting of the story and open up the blackness with a lighthearted disorderliness.
BJ 2013
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+2010.140 |
