Artwork
Interior for Nikolai Gogol's Play Marriage
Interior for Nikolai Gogol's Play Marriage is an oil painting by the Realist artist Constantin Westchiloff. It dates from 1944 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Oil paint applied to cardboard creates the work’s surface, a modestly scaled interior rendered in muted tones that suggest domestic confinement.
Oil paint applied to cardboard creates the work’s surface, a modestly scaled interior rendered in muted tones that suggest domestic confinement. The composition isolates a single room with sparse furnishings, emphasizing flat spatial planes and restrained brushwork characteristic of post‑war figurative painting. The painting measures 41.3 cm in height by 82.5 cm in width, reflecting its horizontal format and modest dimensions.
History & Provenance
Constantin Westchiloff created the oil painting Interior for Nikolai Gogol's Play Marriage in 1944. Executed on cardboard, the work depicts an interior scene and measures 41.3 cm in height by 82.5 cm in width. The piece was originally owned by Robert Lehman before entering the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The painting Interior for Nikolai Gogol's Play Marriage is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work, created in 1944 by Constantin Westchiloff, was formerly owned by Robert Lehman before entering the museum's holdings. It is executed in oil paint on cardboard and measures 41.3 cm in height by 82.5 cm in width.
The provided sources do not contain specific inventory accession numbers or a record of the work's exhibition history.
Overview
Constantin Westchiloff’s 1944 oil painting, Interior for Nikolai Gogol’s Play Marriage, presents a staged domestic space rendered in a realist manner. The work belongs to the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and exemplifies the artist’s versatility across portraiture, genre scenes, and set design. It captures a moment that could belong to a theatrical production, reflecting Westchiloff’s experience in stagecraft after his relocation to France.
Subject & Meaning
The composition depicts a bedroom that resembles a theatrical set, its walls covered in bold yellow‑green patterned wallpaper. A bed draped with a red‑purple blanket occupies the centre, flanked by two chairs. A small table holds a pitcher and glass, while framed pictures above the bed and a wall‑mounted mirror add decorative detail. The arrangement suggests a narrative pause within Gogol’s play, inviting viewers to imagine the off‑stage action.
Context
The work reflects Westchiloff’s engagement with theatrical production, a field he entered after settling in France. By choosing a scene from Gogol’s play Marriage, the artist connects Russian literary tradition with his own experience of exile and adaptation. The painting’s realistic yet textured execution aligns with broader trends in interwar European art, where artists blended narrative content with a heightened awareness of material surface.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Constantin Alexandrovich Westchiloff (Russian: Константин Александрович Вещилов, romanized: Konstantin Aleksandrovich Veschilov; 15 May 1878 – 23 April 1945) was a Russian-American artist, who was active in the fields…
