Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery (He That Is Without Sin?) () is a large oil painting by the Russian artist Vasily Polenov (1844–1927), dated 1888. The painting is now in the State Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg (Inventory Zh-4204). Measuring 325 × 611 cm, it depicts the story of Christ and the woman taken in adultery, described in the Gospel of John.
The painting was conceived by the artist in the late 1860s, with the first sketches appearing in the early 1870s. Some fifteen years passed before the final version of the canvas was completed. While working on the painting, Polenov travelled to the Middle East (1881–1882) and Italy (1883–1884).
The canvas was presented at the 15th Exhibition of the Society for Travelling Art Exhibitions (Peredvizhniki), which opened in Saint Petersburg on 25 February 1887. At the exhibition, the painting was purchased by Tsar Alexander III. The painting was then kept in the Winter Palace, and when the Russian Museum was founded, it became part of its collection in 1897.
On the one hand, the painting is seen as an attempt at a realistic interpretation of the image of Christ and the Gospel story. On the other hand, art historians have also identified the influence of late academicism on the painting, noting that among the attempts to revive large-format academic historical painting, "Polenov's painting is the most significant and serious".
History
Conception and work on the painting The concept for the future canvas, entitled Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery, was first conceived in 1868, influenced by Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov's painting The Appearance of Christ Before the People. Polenov set himself the task of creating "Christ not only coming, but already in the world, making his way among the people". The book The Life of Jesus by the French philosopher and writer Ernest Renan, which emphasised the human nature of Christ, had a significant influence on the interpretation of the subject. By the time work on the painting began, Russian painting had already produced such famous canvases on Gospel themes as the Last Supper by Nikolai Ge and Christ in the Desert by Ivan Kramskoi.
The initial sketches and studies for the painting were created in the 1870s. Of these, two are particularly noteworthy – the 1873 sketch, which aligns with the original concept of the painting, and the 1876 sketch, which is closer to the final composition of the canvas. After that, work on the painting came to a standstill, but in 1881, when the artist's sister Vera Dmitrievna Polenova (the twin of Vasily Polenov) was dying, she made her brother promise to resume work on the painting and also asked that the canvas be large. By then, Polenov had become quite successful in the genre of landscape painting, but, fulfilling the promise to his sister, he returned to historical painting.
In 1881–1882, Polenov undertook a journey to the Middle East, which was largely associated with the work on Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery. He travelled to Constantinople, Alexandria, Cairo, and Aswan, visited Palestine and Syria, and also stopped by Greece. Polenov's travelling companions were the linguist and archaeologist Semyon Abamelek-Lazarev and the art historian Adrian Prakhov. The trip provided Polenov with a substantial corpus of observations pertaining to the nature and architecture of Palestine, as well as the appearance and customs of its population. The artist subsequently employed these techniques to achieve greater realism in his depictions of the Gospel narrative. However, the outcomes of the journey did not significantly advance Polenov's progress towards the realization of his intended painting of Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery, as he devoted minimal time to making sketches and studies during the expedition.
In the spring of 1883, already a teacher at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, Polenov finally began work on a large painting. However, it became evident that the material collected during his trip to the Middle East was insufficient for the task at hand. While he had landscape sketches and architectural sketches, he lacked sufficient images of people. To address this deficiency, Polenov took a year's leave from his academic position and, accompanied by his wife, Natalia Vasilyevna, departed for Rome at the end of October 1883. Their itinerary included visits to Vienna, Venice, and Florence. Consequently, in the 1883–1884 period, Polenov continued his work on the painting in Rome. He proceeded to refine the sketches and also produced images of Italian Jews. In a letter to his sister Elena Dmitrievna, Natalia Vasilievna described the Roman period of Polenov's activity: "He works very much, but whether he is successful or not is again terribly difficult to say; it seems to me that he looks for too much and too little in his work, and it is terribly tiring." She reported that Polenov drew one or two sketches from nature every day, and said that she "would be calmer at heart if the sketches were half as many and more in content". In April 1884, Polenov was visited in Rome by the businessman and patron Savva Mamontov, with whom the artist was well acquainted from the Abramtsevsky Circle. According to Natalia Vasilyevna, "Savva treated his work very kindly and examined his sketches sincerely and not empty-handedly", which "gave Vasily new zeal".
In May 1884, the Polenovs returned to Russia from Italy. In the summer of 1885, the artist worked at the Menshovo estate near Podolsk, where he created a full-length sketch for Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery, executed in charcoal on canvas. The final version of the painting was completed by Polenov in 1886–1887 in Savva Mamontov's study within his residence on Sadovaya-Spasskaya Street in Moscow. In addition to his immediate family and Savva Mamontov, Polenov consulted with the artists Konstantin Korovin and Viktor Vasnetsov, as well as the physiologist Pyotr Spiro, during the painting process.
15th Travelling Exhibition It was anticipated that the painting Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery would be exhibited at the 15th exhibition of the Society for Travelling Art Exhibitions (Peredvizhniki), which commenced in Saint Petersburg on 25 February 1887. Polenov departed for Saint Petersburg in advance, in mid-February, and his canvas arrived a few days after the artist. Upon its installation in the exhibition hall, it was discovered that another large-format painting on a historical subject, Boyarina Morozova by Vasily Surikov, would be exhibited at the exhibition.
A few days before the exhibition opened, the paintings were examined by the censor Nikitin. Apparently, this was Nikolai Vasilyevich Nikitin, an Active State Councillor, who served as the chief inspector of printers, lithographers and similar establishments in Saint Petersburg. In any case, Nikitin was reluctant to grant permission for Polenov's painting to be included in the exhibition and reported the matter to the Saint Petersburg town governor Pyotr Gresser. The latter dispatched an official with special orders, who permitted the painting to remain until the inspection of the paintings by members of the royal family, including the president of the Academy of Arts, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, and Tsar Alexander III himself.
Shortly afterwards, Vladimir Alexandrovich visited the exhibition. He conducted a meticulous examination of the painting by Polenov (the artist himself was not present at the exhibition at that moment), expressed concern about the inadequate lighting, and concluded that "for educated people the painting is interesting for its historical character, but for the crowd it is very dangerous and can provoke all sorts of talk". Nevertheless, the painting remained on display until the Tsar's visit to the exhibition.
On the morning of the day when Alexander III was expected to arrive, the exhibition was inspected by Konstantin Pobedonostsev, the Ober-Procurator of the Most Holy Synod, who was accompanied by the town governor Pyotr Gresser. Ignoring the other paintings, the pair proceeded directly to Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery. Describing the painting as serious and interesting, Pobedonostsev nevertheless forbade the printing of the exhibition catalogue. At two o'clock in the afternoon, Vladimir Alexandrovich arrived at the exhibition. Alexander III and his wife Maria Feodorovna arrived twenty minutes later, accompanied by the Grand Dukes George Alexandrovich and Konstantin Konstantinovich. Alexander III expressed his appreciation for the exhibition and proceeded to purchase several paintings. He eventually arrived at Polenov's canvas and spent a considerable amount of time examining it, talking with the artist. In particular, he praised the expression on Christ's face, saying that from a distance "it seemed a little old, but up close it is really wonderful".
Afterwards, Alexander III continued to inspect the exhibition and Polenov remained with his painting. Vladimir Alexandrovich approached him shortly thereafter and inquired as to whether the painting was available for purchase. Polenov responded in the affirmative. Vladimir Alexandrovich then informed the artist that the Tsar wished to purchase the canvas. Indeed, some time later, Alexander III revisited the hall where the painting was exhibited and, having once again ascertained that the painting had not been purchased by anyone, announced that he was retaining it for himself. Upon the announcement that the painting had been acquired by the Tsar, the prevailing sentiment shifted. There was no longer any question of excluding it from the exhibition; moreover, it was relocated to a more adequately illuminated area. Naturally, the exhibition catalogue was printed, in which the painting was duly included.
Prior to the exhibition, Pavel Tretyakov proposed to Polenov that he sell the painting to him for 20,000 roubles, with the understanding that the Tsar would not purchase it. However, if Alexander III wished to purchase the painting, the price could be increased to 24,000 roubles. Alexander III ultimately paid 30,000 roubles for the painting, which was higher than Tretyakov's proposed price. Nevertheless, this was not the sole factor influencing the sale. The fact that the painting was purchased by the Tsar effectively legalized it, thereby enabling it to be exhibited at the exhibition and later in a museum. Had it been prohibited by the censors – a possibility that might have arisen had Tretyakov retained ownership – it would have been impossible to exhibit it in his gallery.
After creation Following the exhibition in Saint Petersburg, Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery was also exhibited in Moscow, with the consent of Alexander III. Prior to the Moscow exhibition, Polenov finalized some details and changed the date of the painting's creation to 1888.
Many years after the painting's creation, in July 1925, in a letter to Vsevolod Voinov, Polenov wrote: "The painting was titled by me 'Who among you is without sin'. That was its meaning. But the censor did not allow these words to be included in the catalogue, but allowed 'Christ and the woman caught in adultery', because that was the name of other paintings, and then in the museum it was called 'The Prodigal Woman', which was completely contrary to the Gospel story, which clearly says that it is a woman who has sinned. Later, my painting could have been called 'Who among you is without sin', because that is the main idea of the painting."