Christ and Sinner is a large-format painting by the Polish and Russian painter-academist Henryk Siemiradzki (1843–1902). It was completed in 1873 and is currently held in the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg (Inventory Zh-5674). The dimensions of the painting are 250 × 499 cm.
The subject of the painting is related to the story of Christ and the woman taken in adultery described in the Gospel of John. Siemiradzki's interpretation of the theme is analogous to the motifs of Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy's poem The Sinner, which was popular at the time. The composition of the painting can be divided into two sections. On the left is a scene of Christ with his followers, while on the right is a scene of a smartly dressed sinner with an entourage of entertaining men and women.
The painting was commissioned by grand prince Vladimir Alexandrovich and created by Siemiradzki in Rome. In March 1873, the painting was transported to St Petersburg, where it was exhibited at the Academic Exhibition. Siemiradzki was awarded the title of Academician by the Academy of Arts for creating the painting. It was subsequently purchased by the heir to the throne, Alexander Alexandrovich, for 10,000 roubles. In 1873, the painting was exhibited at the World's Fair in Vienna, where Siemiradzki was awarded the medal "For Art", marking his first international award.
Painter Ivan Kramskoi wrote that Siemiradzki's painting "makes a stunning impression". However, "Christ with the apostles is somewhat paltry". Critic Vladimir Stasov noted the "brilliant colouring" of the painting, yet wrote that it was "superficial in content" and criticized the images of the sinner, Christ, and the apostles. Art historian Tatiana Karpova observed that in the Christ and Sinner, Siemiradzki pioneered the use of plein air techniques "in a large canvas painted on a subject from the distant past" and that at that time "it was a novelty for Russian art".
History Background and creation In 1870, Henryk Siemiadzki graduated from the St Petersburg Academy of Arts and was awarded the title of class artist of the first degree and a big gold medal for his painting Alexander the Great's trust in Doctor Philip, which was entered in the competition. Together with the medal, the artist received the right to a six-year pensioner's trip abroad at the expense of the Academy of Arts. Siemiradzki commenced his journey as a pensioner in August 1871. After visiting Krakow, he arrived in Munich in September of the same year. He spent several months in the city, during which time he painted Roman Orgy in the Time of Caesars. This work received favourable reviews from critics in Munich and St Petersburg, where it was sent for another academic exhibition.
In April 1872, Siemiradzki departed from Munich for Florence to stay there long-term. However, having travelled through Italy shortly after, the artist changed his plans and decided to move to Rome. He informed the Academy of Arts of this decision in a letter dated 9 May 1872. Siemiradzki promptly leased a studio on Via Margutta, where he commenced work on a new painting, which he called Christ and Sinner or The Sinner.
The commissioner for this painting was Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, who was a fellow (deputy) president of the Academy of Arts from 1869 and became its president in 1876. The Grand Duke proposed a theme for the future painting to Siemiradzki while he was still in St Petersburg. In particular, Vladimir Alexandrovich sent the artist a copy of Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy's poem The Sinner, first published in 1858 in the magazine Russkaya Beseda. This poem was very popular at the time and was part of the repertoire of various literary evenings.
In the autumn of 1872, the artist Vasily Polenov arrived in Rome, where he commenced work on a painting with a similar subject, Christ and the Woman taken in Adultery (alternatively titled: He That Is Without Sin) In a letter to his family dated 15 October 1872, Polenov wrote: "Here already lives an Academy fellow Pole Siemiradzki. Very kind and charming gentleman and an interesting artist". In the same missive, Polenov stated that he had formed close relationships with other Polish artists in Rome and that he "began to make studies for the painting He That Is Without Sin". In a letter dated 31 March 1873 Vera Nikolaevna Voeikov, Polenov's grandmother, informed her grandson from St Petersburg: "We had your friend Siemiradzki, who liked you very much and praised your talent and your sketches in Rome, as well as the painting you started." Polenov worked much longer on the canvas Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery (He That Is Without Sin) than Siemiradzki on his Sinner, only finishing it in 1887.
Siemiradzki dedicated at least a year and a half to contemplating the subject, including the creation of sketches and studies. According to his recollections, he spent approximately eight months working on the large canvas. In the process of creating The Sinner, Siemiradzki employed the latest achievements of photography, with images taken at his request by professional photographer . The collection of the National Museum in Kraków contains photographic documentation of sitters and mannequins in their respective poses and attire, which were employed to create the various characters depicted in the painting, including the protagonists, Jesus Christ and the Sinner. The painting was completed in February 1873, thus the entire process of creating The Sinner spanned approximately three years, from 1870 to 1873.
Exhibitions of 1873 and sale of the painting In the spring of 1873, the Academic Exhibition was held in St Petersburg, where works of painting and sculpture were exhibited to be sent to the World's Fair in Vienna. Some artists were unable to deliver their works by the time the exhibition commenced. Ivan Aivazovsky, who was working in Florence at the time, requested a postponement for the artists who were in Italy. He specifically mentioned that Siemiradzki was engaged in a notable painting, which he could not complete until the end of January. It was not until 10 March that Siemiradzki informed the academy leadership that the painting Christ and Sinner had been sent to St Petersburg. He also requested that the painting be unpacked in his presence.
Siemiradzki arrived in St. Petersburg at the end of March. His new painting was presented in the Raphael Hall of the Academy of Arts on March 30. Even though the exhibition was only two days from closing, the painting managed to attract attention and make a great impression on viewers. In a letter dated 2 April, Siemiradzki wrote to his family: "For two days my painting has been exhibited in the halls of the Academy, the public, attracted by the announcement, which placed the Academy in the newspapers on the arrival of my painting, again crowded at the exhibition. I am now the object of enthusiasm and envy in the artistic world; it never occurred to me that I could have made such an impression with my painting. The common opinion is that my 'Sinner' has, by its appearance, shattered the whole exhibition of works intended for Vienna, as the local artists say in Russian, 'smashed it into splinters'".Exposition of the exhibition "By the Example of the Gods" (Moscow, State Tretyakov Gallery, 2022)
Of the numerous paintings exhibited at the event, three, in particular, attracted considerable attention: Barge Haulers on the Volga by Ilya Repin, Jesters at the Court of Empress Anna by Valery Jacobi and Crist and Sinner. In a letter to Kozma Soldatyonkov, artist Pavel Chistyakov noted that with his new work "Siemiradzki stunned, and not the public, but the artists", adding that "all this pleases our brother". Painter Ivan Kramskoi wrote that Siemiradzki's painting "makes an overwhelming impression, for a long time you cannot control your mind", although, according to him, "Christ with the apostles is somewhat paltry". Critic Vladimir Stasov, writing under the pseudonym "O.", published an article titled Siemiradzki's New Painting 'Sinner''' in the Sankt-Peterburgskie Vedomosti (No. 95 for 1873). Stasov noted that the painting "created such a sensation that will not even be remembered", and that since Bryullov's The Last Day of Pompeii, nothing so magnificent had appeared in Russian painting. However, Stasov himself did not like the sinner ("insignificant and boring in her pose, face, expression"), nor Christ ("a pale, sluggish figure in a white chiton"), nor the apostles ("Arabian robe-makers with the most ordinary faces and expressionless physiognomies").
Despite the criticism, both the commissioner, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, and the conference secretary of the Academy of Arts, Pyotr Iseyev, expressed a high level of appreciation for the painting Christ and Sinner. As a result, Siemiradzki was awarded the title of academician, which ultimately led to his reputation as "one of the leading masters of Russian academism" being secured. At the recommendation of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, the painting Christ and Sinner was purchased by the heir to the throne, Alexander Alexandrovich, for a considerable sum, equivalent to approximately 10,000 roubles at the time. Furthermore, Vladimir Alexandrovich requested that Siemiradzki create a second version of the painting in sepia for his collection.
In the same year, 1873, the painting Christ and Sinner was sent to the World's Fair in Vienna. The painting was exhibited alongside other works that exemplified the achievements of Russian painting in the preceding decade. These included Peter and Alexei by Nikolai Ge, The Hunters at Rest and Fisherman by Vasily Perov, Barge Haulers on the Volga by Ilya Repin, an author's copy of the canvas The Rooks Have Returned by Alexei Savrasov, and others. The painting Christ and Sinner was exhibited in the central hall of the Art Pavilion. , a German artist and art historian, observed that Siemiradzki's canvas was painted with great skill. He described it as a "very talented and piquant study of the influence of the effects of sunlight on architecture and people," although, in his words, "it is somewhat difficult to understand why Christ should serve as a model for such experiments." In a guide to the art section of the Vienna exhibition, journalist Ernst Lehmann wrote that Siemiradzki, "still a young Russian artist, presented in his 'Sinner' a work that shows us a great colourist; moreover, his way of treating biblical material is in every respect new and perhaps the only one suitable in our time for religious paintings". However, translating these reviews from German, Siemiradzki's opponent Vladimir Stasov wryly remarked that in both Vienna and Russia, Christ and Sinner was "very much liked by people with less sense and almost not at all liked by those who are more artistically advanced and whose taste is more educated". In any case, Christ and Sinner was awarded the medal "For Art" at the Vienna exhibition. It was the first international award received by Siemiradzki.
Subsequent events