Vladimir Nabokov and the art of painting

“Sounds have colors and colors have smells.” This sentence in __Ada__is only one of the many moments in Nabokov’s work where he sought to merge the visual into his rich and sensual writing. This lavishly illustrated study is the first to examine the role of the visual arts in Nabokov’s oeuvre and to explore how art deepens the potency of the prominent themes threaded throughout his work. The authors trace the role of art in Nabokov’s life, from his alphabetic chromesthesia—a psychological condition in which letters evoke specific colors—to his training under Marc Chagall’s painting instructor to his deep admiration for Leonardo da Vinci and Hieronymus Bosch. They then examine over 150 references to specific works of art in such novels as __Laughter in the Dark__, __The Real Life of Sebastian Knight__, __Pnin__, __Lolita__, __Ada__, and __Pale Fire__ and consider how such references reveal new emotional aspects of Nabokov’s fiction. A fascinating and wholly original study, __Nabokov and the Art of Painting__ will be invaluable reading for scholars and enthusiasts of Nabokov alike.

“Sounds have colors and colors have smells.” This sentence in Ada is only one of the many moments in Nabokov’s work where he sought to merge the visual into his rich and sensual writing. This lavishly illustrated study is the first to examine the role of the visual arts in Nabokov’s oeuvre and to explore how art deepens the potency of the prominent themes threaded throughout his work. 

The authors trace the role of art in Nabokov’s life, from his alphabetic chromesthesia—a psychological condition in which letters evoke specific colors—to his training under Marc Chagall’s painting instructor to his deep admiration for Leonardo da Vinci and Hieronymus Bosch. They then examine over 150 references to specific works of art in such novels as Laughter in the Dark, The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, Pnin, Lolita, Ada, and Pale Fire and consider how such references reveal new emotional aspects of Nabokov’s fiction.

A fascinating and wholly original study, Nabokov and the Art of Painting will be invaluable reading for scholars and enthusiasts of Nabokov alike.

Vladimir Nabokov was one of the greatest novelists of the previous century and his mastery of English and Russian prose is unequalled. Nabokov had originally trained to become a painter and shared Marc Chagalls tutor in Paris. In Nabokov and the Art of Painting the authors demonstrate how the art of painting is interwoven with the narratives. His novels, which refer to over a hundred paintings, show a brilliance of colours and light and dark are in a permanent dialogue with each other. Following the introduction describing the many associations Nabokov made between the literary and visual arts, several of his novels are discussed in Laughter in the Dark, The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, Pnin, Lolita, Pale Fire and Ada. Separate chapters are devoted to Leonardo da Vinci and Hieronymus Bosch, as Nabokov had a special appreciation for both painters. The authors show how the pictorial gave an extra depth to the great themes of love and loss in Nabokovs work. This is the First book-length work devoted to the visual arts in Vladimir Nabokov's oeuvre. Nabokov trained in his youth to become a painter, and was instructed by Chagall's teacher. His life-long fascination with the visual arts culminated in the many allusions to the fine arts in Ada.Vladimir Nabokov and the Art of Painting, richly illustrated with eighty reproductions, many of them in full colour, catalogues the 'picture gallery' in Nabokov's novels and stories, from Abbasi to Zurbaran. A comprehensive introduction details the relationships between the literary and the visual arts in Nabokov's prose, followed by chapters on Laughter in the Dark, The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, Pnin, Lolita, Pale Fire and Ada. Separate chapters are devoted to Leonardo da Vinci and Hieronymus Bosch, artists whom Nabokov particularly admired. The authors reveal how Nabokov's references to the fine arts deepen the great themes of love and loss in his work. Front Cover 1 Table of Contents 7 Foreword 8 Note on Abbreviations and References 10 1 Nabokov and the Two Sister Arts 12 2 The ‘Mad Pursuit’ in Laughter in the Dark 31 3 The Real Life of Sebastian Knight. Its Colours and Painting 40 4 Pnin and the History of Art 45 5 Lolita and Aubrey Beardsley 60 6 Pale Fire Zemblematically 68 7 Leonardo and ‘Spring in Fialta’ 88 8 A Shimmer of Exact Details: Ada’s Art Gallery 99 9 Ada and Bosch 146 Appendix I: Passages in Nabokov’s Novels, Stories or Autobiography Referring or Alluding to Paintings 168 Appendix II: Painters Mentioned or Obviously Referred to in Nabokov's Works 179 Notes 182 Bibliography 198 List of Illustrations and Acknowledgements 208 Corresponding Pages in the Volumes Published by Vintage International and Penguin Books 213 Index of Authors 215 Index of Artists 220 Content: Nabokov and the two sister arts -- The 'mad pursuit' in Laughter in the dark -- The real life of Sebastian Knight : its colours and painting -- Pnin and the history of art -- Lolita and Aubrey Beardsley -- Pale fire zemblematically -- Leonardo and 'Spring in Fialta' / Gerad de Vries -- A shimmer of exact details : Ada's art gallery / D. Barton Johnson -- Ada and Bosch / Liana Ashenden -- Appendix I : Passages in Nabokov's novels, stories or autobiography referring or alluding to paintings -- Appendix II : Painters mentioned or obviously referred to in Nabokov's works. A richly illustrated and comprehensive discussion of all the explicit pictorial references in Nabokov's oeuvre and their bearing on the major themes in his novels.