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Kalmakov's 'Death' & VN's "In Paradise"
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The painting 'Smert' (Death 1913) is by Nikolai Kalmakov, and it
reminds me of VN's poem "In Paradise" (1927):
here, in a glade, a wild angel slumbers, A semi-pavonian creature.
-- A. Bouazza.
Dear A. Bouazza,
I am not familiar with the poem, but it may indeed be a reference to
the Kalmakov painting, which was among the art collection confiscated
by the Soviets from V.D. and Elena Nabokov. A reproduction of the
painting and this information is to be found on page 9 of the book
Moscow and St Petersburg 1900 - 1920; Art, Life & Culture.
I was surprised and impressed to discover that the Nabokov parents
should have owned such a painting by such an artist - from Nabokov's
memoirs I should not have expected his parents to have had such avant
garde tastes. But your link to the poem "In Paradise" (I did not know
of this poem) adds considerably to the interest. VN would seem to
(intentionally? unintentionally?) conflate the two figures in the
painting - the sleeper in the lower left corner of the painting, and
the spectacular "pavonian" angel of death who dominates the right side
of the painting.
Fascinating ....
Carolyn Kunin
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