Title: “Lisa in the Sun”
Artist: Robert Falk
Tonya is a very different character compared to Yury, Lara, and Komarovsky. The cosmic, exotic beauty of “Element of Fire,” the somber, thoughtful, tragic feeling of “Demon Seated,” and the brooding, ominous unremorseful attitude of “Demon Prostrate” seem far out of place in the context of describing the somewhat passive, down-to-earth wife of Yury Zhivago. “Lisa in the Sun,” painted in 1907 by Robert Falk provided a quiet, simple, and meditative image that was appropriate for Tonya Gromeko.
In “Lisa in the Sun,” a woman is sitting on the grass, with her long, simple dress lying around her. She is casting her eyes to the ground, as if patiently waiting. This waiting reflects much of the waiting that Tonya did for Yury in the novel as he served in the revolution and was forced to travel outside of Moscow. The image in the painting is not, assuming, not pretentious, not dramatic, or self-serving. Tonya demonstrates her quiet, reserved nature, even to a self-sacrificing degree as she urges Yury to leave her and their son and go with Lara to the Urals.
Just as Tonya seems to patiently waiting for Yury’s return, or even Yury’s love, the woman in this piece is quietly waiting as well. Comparing the simple quiet of “Lisa in the Sun,” with the erotic energy of “Element of Fire,” gives a further look into the feelings of inadequacy and frustration that Tonya feels as she makes herself accept the feelings that Yury has for Lara.
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