Undoubtedly, the court, which delighted in what we call “bling” today, would prefer the portrait by van Loo, who fulfilled everything required of him. He kowtowed to convention in style and beauty, and painted what a princess should look like.

A curator at Galerie für Landschaftskunst said that Virg’s art was “bewitching”. Yes, it is, in the manner of Harry Potter or the magic realist texts. These inanimate objects are charmed into something amusing that stop you in the tracks.

Does Serebriakova deserve her reputation? Can we criticize her art after the Silver Period as being anachronistic, and racist at times? Can a female nude painting by a woman of a different ethnic background be excused because the painting is by a woman?

The art of Mikhail Vrubel (1856-1910) is simply extraordinary, and will take you, like the greatest Russian literature, to depths that both educate and endanger your sensibility.

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