Chapter 137
Anna's portrait in Italian dress proceeds through its fifth sitting
Mihailov sold Vronsky his picture, and agreed to paint a portrait of Anna. On the day fixed he came and began the work. From the fifth sitting the portrait impressed everyone, especially Vronsky, not only by its resemblance, but by its characteristic beauty. It was strange how Mihailov could have discovered just her characteristic beauty. “One needs to know and love her as I have loved her to discover the very sweetest expression of her soul,” Vronsky thought, though it was only from this portrait that he had himself learned this sweetest expression of her soul. But the expression was…
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Key Quotes & Analysis
"From the fifth sitting the portrait impressed everyone, especially Vronsky, not only by its resemblance, but by its characteristic beauty."
Context: On Vronsky stopping his Anna canvas
Amateur limit reached.
In Today's Words:
Vronsky gives up painting Anna's portrait. After Mihailov the amateur knows his ceiling. Tolstoy marks how comparison and restlessness end one identity before geography changes. Tolstoy uses this moment to show how private feeling becomes visible through ordinary social language, and readers can apply the same lens when interpreting everyday speech around major life transitions.
"deciding that it was now not needed."
Context: Future plans emerging
Exile meets maternal pull.
In Today's Words:
Plans to see Seryozha in Petersburg emerge. Anna's son re-enters the story as Italy ends. No affair escapes prior bonds completely. Tolstoy grounds moral insight in observed detail rather than sermon. Tolstoy uses this moment to show how private feeling becomes visible through ordinary social language, and readers can apply the same lens when interpreting everyday speech around major life transitions.
"far more like the celebrated pictures they knew than Mihailov’s picture."
Context: Property plans alongside return
Permanence replaces travel.
In Today's Words:
Talk turns to a country estate. Vronsky seeks roots when idyll thins. Property is how aristocrats answer boredom when scenery is not enough. Tolstoy grounds moral insight in observed detail rather than sermon. Tolstoy uses this moment to show how private feeling becomes visible through ordinary social language, and readers can apply the same lens when interpreting everyday speech around major life transitions.
"Anna meant to see her son."
Context: Anna's portrait progress
Art marks time abroad.
In Today's Words:
The fifth sitting occurs as if counting days before change. Portrait sessions measure a happy interval readers know cannot last unchanged. Tolstoy grounds moral insight in observed detail rather than sermon. Tolstoy uses this moment to show how private feeling becomes visible through ordinary social language, and readers can apply the same lens when interpreting everyday speech around major life transitions.
Thematic Threads
Art as timekeeper
In This Chapter
Fifth sitting marks Italian period.
Development
Closes Mihailov and portrait threads.
In Your Life:
Projects mark chapters before you notice dates.
Amateur limits
In This Chapter
Vronsky abandons his Anna canvas.
Development
Follows studio comparison with Mihailov.
In Your Life:
Comparison can end hobbies that once felt central.
Return looming
In This Chapter
Petersburg and Seryozha mentioned.
Development
Prepares Russian social re-entry.
In Your Life:
Unresolved ties eventually pull you back.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
This is not a test. Five prompts guide you through the chapter, from how it opens to how it closes, so you notice context and rhythm rather than facts to memorize. Sit with each question in your own words. When you see "One way to read it," treat it as a starting point, not the only answer.
- 1
Why does Vronsky stop painting Anna?
analysis • surfaceOne way to read it
After Mihailov he likely sees his limits. Restlessness and comparison end the amateur project.
- 2
What does the fifth sitting represent?
analysis • mediumOne way to read it
It marks time in Italian happiness and professional capture of Anna's beauty before life shifts again.
- 3
Why introduce Petersburg and Seryozha now?
application • mediumOne way to read it
Exile is ending. Anna's son and Russian society pull them back toward unresolved bonds.
- 4
How does country estate talk relate to Vronsky's grain of sand?
application • deepOne way to read it
Property offers structure when travel and painting fail to satisfy. Permanence answers restlessness.
- 5
When have you felt a good period ending before anyone said so aloud?
reflection • deepOne way to read it
Stopped projects and new plans often signal transition before official change.
Critical Thinking Exercise
Signals of Return
List three details that end the Italian arc (fifth sitting, stopped portrait, plans). Explain what each foreshadows.
Consider:
- •Include Seryozha
- •Include estate
- •Include Mihailov comparison
Journaling Prompt
Write about a chapter of life that ended in small signs, not announcements.
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 138
Levin will appear three months married, discovering happiness unlike his expectations and quarreling over a lost way. Part Five returns to Levin three months after the wedding. He expected perfect happiness and finds marriage more complex.
