Homage to Tolstoy 19th-20th century

Curator: This is "Homage to Tolstoy" by Eugène Carrière, now residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The mood is instantly somber, wouldn't you agree? It’s like a hazy memory emerging from the darkness, full of feeling but indistinct. Curator: Carrière was known for these hazy, monochromatic paintings, often depicting motherhood and intimate scenes. This particular work serves as a tribute to the great Russian novelist. We might consider it in relation to the Symbolist movement. Editor: Symbolist indeed! It feels like a dream I once had about loss and love…see how the figures seem to melt into one another, bound together by emotion rather than clear lines? It’s beautiful and unsettling. Curator: Exactly. It touches upon Tolstoy's themes of mortality and the human condition, but also comments on Carrière's personal politics of representation. Editor: It’s a quiet scream, isn't it? A reminder that even in homage, there's room for the artist's own voice, their own interpretation of the master's soul. Curator: Well, it's certainly offered us plenty to reflect upon. Editor: Absolutely. I think it’s that sort of art that stays with you, long after you've left the gallery.