Overview
Antosha and Levitasha is the first book in English devoted to the
complex relationship between Anton Chekhov and Isaac Levitan, one of
Russia's greatest landscape painters. Outside of Russia, a general lack
of familiarity with Levitan's life and art has undermined an
appreciation of the cultural significance of his friendship with
Chekhov. Serge Gregory's highly readable study attempts to fill that gap
for Western readers by examining a friendship that may have vacillated
between periods of affection and animosity, but always reflected an
unwavering shared aesthetic. In Russia, where entire rooms of galleries
in Moscow and St. Petersburg are devoted to Levitan's paintings, the
lives of the famous writer and the equally famous artist have long been
tied together. To those familiar with the work of both men, it is
evident that Levitan's "landscapes of mood" have much in common with the
way that Chekhov's characters perceive nature as a reflection of their
emotional state.
Gregory focuses on three overarching themes: the artists' similar
approach to depicting landscape; their romantic and social rivalries
within their circle of friends, which included many of Moscow's leading
cultural figures; and the influence of Levitan's personal life on
Chekhov's stories and plays. He emphasizes the facts of Levitan's life
and his place in late nineteenth-century Russian art, particularly with
respect to his dual loyalties to the competing Itinerant and World of
Art movements. Accessible and engaging, Antosha and Levitasha will
appeal to scholars and general readers interested in art history, late
nineteenth-century Russian culture, and biographies.