Agony

The last two years of Gorky’s life were marred by a downward spiral of soap opera-esque incidents. When a tragic fire in 1946 destroyed nearly all of his works, he plunged into a great depression. Shortly thereafter, he contracted throat cancer and a car accident broke his neck, temporarily paralyzing his painting arm. Many of his works in 1947-8 are a direct reflection of the series of unfortunate events that mired the great artist in sorrow. All of the tragedies that ensued during Gorky’s time in his final years came together in this aptly titled painting. Real objects take on different forms and meanings—including what may be a figure of Gorky himself on the left—where feelings of pain and grief are expressed within the context of life and death. The ominous foreshadowing of his death the following year pronounces the piece, making it truly agonizing. (c. 1947, featured at the Museum of Modern Art)