Portrait of N. A. Ostrovsky

Heinrich Eduardovich Vogeler was an outstanding German artist and the founder of Jugendstil (the Modern Style) in Germany; he was opposed to the Nazi regime and emigrated to the USSR in 1931. He visited N. A. Ostrovsky’s apartment in Moscow on several occasions in the winter of 1936. At that time he created several portraits of the writer, in the form of both drawings and paintings. “It was an artistic challenge for me to paint your portrait,” the artist told N. A. Ostrovsky. “I hope that this portrait will speak to many people about your strong character and your creative strength.”