Bank Collapse

In 1881 Makovsky depicted depositors of a failed bank. Bank failures were a recognisable subject for urban audiences. He gathered people reacting differently to lost money in one hall. Their dress and behaviour turn the incident into a group portrait of society.

On the left a man bends to help a woman in a chair. She leans back while the other visitors remain standing.

The man with red lapels stands almost motionless in the crowd. Makovsky sets this frozen pose beside the raised hands around him.

Papers are raised above the crowd. The documents express depositors’ claims and direct attention towards those expected to answer.

An older woman reaches towards the clerks. Her appeal connects the close group of visitors with those on the other side of the office space.

A policeman with a sword stands on the right. His upright figure stands out among the turned bodies and gesturing people.

A top hat and rolled paper lie on the floor. Makovsky leaves space in front of the crowd so that these small objects remain visible.

Above the arch are a clock and a sign for the deposit department. The ordinary banking hall remains in place even as its routine has broken down.

Critics read the painting differently at the 1881 exhibition. Stasov stressed the depositors’ distress; others saw an anecdotal everyday scene. Their disagreement shows how sympathy and amusement could coexist in responses to genre painting.