History Literature / ThePicture

* CorruptChurch: Ilya Sammsonovich invoked that trope, later ridicules Losev who invokes it too.

* HellSeeker: Ilya Sammsonovich, a clergyman whom Losev and Tuchkova once meet in church, devised a very odd theology. He believes that the righteous men should be sent to hell to be tormented in the afterlife. That would make their good deed actually worthwhile. In the standard case it should be implied that they remain righteous only to enter the heaven and to live in eternal bliss. If Ilya Sammsonovich's ideas were followed by God, the righteous man would do good out of internal foodness only despite their dismal fate in the afterlife. Thus he seeks hell for mmany others - righteous persons.

** Played with in 70's as Uvarov although a priviledged official uses a pocket computer bought during his stay in the USA.
** Later Badin relates about his trip to Italy where he saw El Greco's View of Toledo. He liked the picture much more than an actual view of Toledo.

* DidNotGetTheGirl: Roginsky does not get his fellow teacher Tuchkova who prefers the mayor Losev. In the decisive confrontation she says Roginsky that he should have no hope they can be together. [[Although it is implied that in the end Losev and Tuchkova are not together either as Tuchkova has reportedly left for Belarus.]]

* AntiHero: Polivanov in the present days is that. Earlier in 30's he was at best an antivillain or even a straight villain.

** [[spoiler: In the end Losev is replaced by Morshikhin rather than Zruravlyov bewcause the latter is seen as lacking of ambition. It is implied that Morshikin is an extreme opportunist and he in the decisive day acts somewhat disloyal to Losev, his chief. Still he is ambitious]]

* AdviceBackfire: Losev urges Roginsky to write an office memo about how the building should definitely be preserved. Roginsky obeys however later he also [[sends a letter in the paper which Losev would by no means want him to do as he prefers to work within the bureacracy and does not want to attract publicity. If Losev did not convince him to write a memo in strong expressions Roginsky would not send a letter. In the end that letter serves as one of the factors helping to secure the historic house however the standing of Losev is worsened by the newspaper publication as he comes out as a somewhat disloyal person to Uvarov.]]

** Roginsky writes the letter to the paper about the endangered house. This is not in line with the intentions of Losev who tries to achieve his goal by behind-the-scene operations and is scared of publicity which can make him look disloyal.

* TheDreaded: Pashkov for Losev at some stage. Losev even appoints Pashkov his aide out of sheer fear. He is specifically afraid of his firm, nearly bonecrushing handshake. Then he trains his hand during the vacations so that he shakes the hand of Pashkov even stronger and is no more afraid of him. He shouts at him and soon dismisses him. Pashkov still manages to make a career elsewhere and becomes an aide to Uvarov.
** Pashkov is aware of that and latter ridicules Losev for his training of his hand muscles.

* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Losev has to work with this: Polivanov is a dying old man with whom they also later have a breakdown, Anisimov is a 20-year-old youth who is also unemployed, Tuchkova is a mere school teacher (a shabby intellectual, looked down upon in the social system of Lykov), Roginsky is another school teacher and TheGenericGuy for Tuchkova. Of couse in some respect they are la creme de la creme of the town because they are the ones most interested in the intellectual matters. Still all of them are misfits to some extent and two main allies of Losev are the terminally ill old man and a DudeLooksLikeALady.

* Bishonen: Constantin Anisimov who is slender and has long hair. Once he is likened to a girl by one of the citizens.

* BigBeautifulWoman: Olga Serafimovna was the one in the younger days as it is clear from her nudes by Astakhov. Now she is in her seventies but it can be felt that SheWasQuiteALooker.

* HellSeeker: Ilya Sammsonovich, a clergyman whom Losev and Tuchkova once meet in church, devises a very odd theology. He believes that the righteous men should be sent to hell to be tormented in the afterlife. That would make their good deed actually worthwhile. In the standard case it should be impluied that they remain righteous only to enter the heaven and to live in eternal bliss. If Ilya Sammsonovich's ideas were followed by God, the righteous man would do good out of internal foodness only. Thus he seeks hell for mmany others - just persons.

* TheSeventies: Soviet style in the small provincial town.

* AllTakeAndNoGive: That's how Losev thinks once about his relation with Arkady Matveevich. The latter is not upset though.

The book's protagonist, Sergey Losev, is a mayor of the small provincial town, Lykov, in the Soviet 70's. While on business trip in Moscow he visits an art exposition where he by pure chance through a DoubleTake notices a landscape named "By the River" which reminds him of a certain view in Lykov. Later it turns out that an artist, Astakhov, indeed once lived in the town and painted that landscape at that very place. After the exposition is over he visits the widow of the now deceased painter, Astakhov, and convinces her to pass the picture over to the town of Lykov. The painting arrives in the town and is placed in the school biology classroom because the view from its window is very similar to the landscape.

* BigBeautifulWoman: Olga Serafimovna was the one in the younger days as it is clear from her nudes by Astakhov.

* SpiritualSuccessor. Losev believes he is the one to Zhmurin, the mayor of Lykov in the Tsarist times. Zhmurin tries to improve the urban conditions in Lykov and although he is semi-forgotten, certains denizens still remember sommme of his deeds for the town. The legacy of Zhmurin among other things inspires Losev to try and save the building presented on the titular landscape.

** Polivanov and Anisimov less so, these [well-intentioned extremists WellIntentionedExtremist] are clearly above the millieu.

** Polivanov and Anisimov less so, these [WellIntentionedExtremist well-intentioned extremists] are clearly above the millieu.

* SpecialPersonNormalName: Names Losev, Tuchkova, Pashkov, Uvarov are all very ordinary-sounding in Russian. Morshikhin and Zruravlyov less plain but still nothing posh.
** Polivanov and Anisimov less so, these WellIntentionedExtremist are somewhat above the millieu.
** Of course averted by Figurovsky who was a high-profile figure compared to everyone else and is interred on a central cemetry in Moscow.

* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Losev has to work with this: Polivanov is a dying old man with whom they also later have a breakdown, Anisimov is a 2-year-old youth who is also unemployed, Tuchkova is a mere school teacher (a shabby intellectual, looked down upon in the social system of Lykov), Roginsky is another school teacher and TheGenericGuy for Tuchkova. Of couse in some respect they are la creme de la creme of the town because they are the ones most interested in the intellectual matters. Still all of them are misfits to some extent and two main allies of Losev are the terminally ill old man and a youth who is a DudeLooksLikeALady.