Was Gorky's work truly 'realistic'?
Some whisper that my portrayals are too dark, too grim, that I dwell too much on the squalor. But if one truly looks, with eyes unclouded by comfort, one sees the truth, however bitter. The 'Lower Depths' was not invented; it was observed. The profound despair, the loss of faith, the crushing poverty – these are not caricatures, but the stark, unyielding realities faced by millions. To sanitize this reality, to present a falsely cheerful facade, would be a far greater lie. The artist's duty is to expose the wound, not to apply a pretty bandage to hide the decay beneath.
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