The artist is Ge
The last period of work, Ge was almost exclusively associated with the gospel themes, work on the cycle dedicated to Christ. At this time, the artist rapprocheted with Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1828-1910), which was the most important milestone on the life of the painter. He met Tolstoy in 1882 and since that time he became a convinced follower of his teachings, like a great writer, raising global moral problems in his work. In 1884, Ger writes a portrait of Tolstoy in his house in Khamovniki when he worked on the manuscript "What is my faith?". The portrait of the writer at work, in the usual environment, is resolved in the spirit of mobile traditions. The main thing that the artist strove for is to show the work of a brilliant mind, the course of his thoughts. Ge interprets Tolstoy as a teacher of life who does his job. In the writer’s family, this image was considered the best "by similarity and strength of facial expression, despite the eyes lowered".
The Russian Museum. From the icon to the present. 2005. With. 181.
