# Afterword to the cycle of artists

Eduard Dolgunov

Sincere author's reflections on the two years of spiritual life next to the great titans of painting â€” from Leonardo to Bosch â€” and how their fates continue to resonate in our modern world.

Afterword

Afterword

Leonardo da Vinci

Raphael Santi

Michelangelo Buonarroti

Sandro Botticelli

Merisi da Caravaggio

Rembrandt van Rijn

Hieronymus Bosch

I spent the last two years among these people. A good company, isn't it?

I didn't say "among these people" for nothing. They are close to me and, surprisingly, living people. For two years we were together, I thought like them, talked to them, worried. I finished a series about the great artists of the Renaissance, geniuses of the Middle Ages, titans, great toilers who left an indelible mark on the world art of painting and sculpture.

In recent months, they were "joined" by several more brilliant artists from the 19th and 20th centuries: Jean-François Millet, Mikhail Vrubel, Edvard Munch, Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Salvador Dali.

A few words about this series of novellas from the author.

I want to admit right away that, as an art connoisseur, I am on the lowest rung of any, even the simplest cultural level. And, despite this completely objective fact, I had the audacity to "take a swing" at the greatest artists of the Renaissance, the geniuses of world art. You noticed, I didn't say - at the "work" of the greatest artists, but said - at the "greatest" artists! Incomprehensible, right? I'll explain now.

I already admitted that in art I am a "zero without a stick", let's say - a "dilettante with a claim", so I leave the evaluation and analysis of the artists' work to the professionals. But what "hooked" me is the interest in these incomprehensible and mysterious geniuses, just as people.

— No, well really, — I told myself, — they weren't born geniuses right away? After all, they had, like everyone else, first childhood (they probably even peed and pooped in their diapers), then youth, adolescence, first love... and only then... And what then? So, I thought - and WHAT then, HOW then, WHERE then???... Something became interesting to me, I decided to try to "climb into their souls" and see them not as geniuses, but simply as people.

I had no idea how to do this, but, as always, chance helped. We live in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, a beautiful, gorgeous city with a rich history. The family of my son's girlfriend rented (for business) in the historical part of the city ancient cellars, the amazing history of which goes back 600 years into the depths of centuries, and this is confirmed by documents. I, to the best of my strength and abilities, helped them equip the room, where, feeling the stonework of the century-old walls and breathing the air of antiquity, I penetrated so deeply into the depths of centuries that some historical images began to surface in my brain. I plunged headlong into the Internet, read a lot, and after my son made a wonderful historical film about this place, I lost my peace.

So, gradually, I started writing, immersing myself in the topic deeper and deeper, and so deeply that my characters began to appear in my dreams and live their own lives next to me, and all I had to do was watch them and write it down. Thus began this cycle and I started it with da Vinci's "Mona Lisa".

Now a question arose - what and how to write? Describing the lives of geniuses is a thankless task, since there are dozens, if not hundreds of the most learned (I invented the word myself) men - biographers, courageously carrying on their dystrophic shoulders, sprinkled with dandruff and library dust, the collected kilograms of information about every minute of their heroes' lives. How can a dilettante compete with them, and besides, it's not interesting to me, so I came up with a brilliant (from my point of view) move. I will write not about their work, but about their perception of the world, doubts, weaknesses, relationships with the people around them, searches for models for their paintings, in short, just as about people in everyday life.

I took a blank sheet of paper and divided it into three parts with longitudinal stripes. In the left column - I wrote the name of the painting I liked. In the right - a "shoveled" mass of literature about the Master's work on this masterpiece and entered all the interesting facts found into this column, not missing a single detail, including the gossip of contemporaries. But, an obligatory condition - these must be truthful, actually occurred facts, no lies and inventions from the author (guesses and comments are allowed).

And in the middle part - my literary description of these really existing events, but here the author's assessment with necessary additions, details and guesses is already allowed. I reserve the right to interpret the artist's work in my own way, to share my considerations, thoughts, conclusions and send the reader in the right direction of the plot conceived by the author.

So, the goals are clear, the tasks are outlined - forward, into the ocean of writer's illusions and passions.

But, all beautiful things, sooner or later, come to an end, you say goodbye to your hero, put a fat point and with a sigh of relief tell yourself: "I did it"! Friends will forgive, and they are my main readers.

I think I finished this series of novellas. Whether I will return to this topic in the future, I don't know. I admit, it was difficult for me with the heroes of my stories on the one hand, and great on the other. I will miss them and I know for sure that I will miss them.

Author.