CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2021
| Author | Kotlyar, Lydia |
|---|---|
| Title | Art and Artists as Agents of Empire: "Russianness" in the Exhibitions of Vasily Vereshchagin |
| Summary | This thesis deals with the art of Vasily Vereshchagin (1842-1904), a Russian artist of the second half of the nineteenth century. He had a high international reputation, and broad international recognition, with exhibitions often taking place in Europe and the United States. The thesis argues, that his international experience and reception of his artwork was based on the pre- existing understanding of what Russian art should portray. This opinion was rooted in understanding of "Russianness", formulated by the cultural mythology of the Russian Empire, and made any Russian artist, in this case - Vereshchagin - a representative of the empire and a speaker on its behalf. As examples, I use two exhibitions - in London in 1873 and in Vienna in 1885. My sources are press reports, surrounding those events, as well as texts written by Vereshchagin himself in historical journals. Some other sources include books on Russianness, published at the time. The thesis also shows how the artist became an agent of cultural diplomacy. |
| Supervisor | Hennings, Jan |
| Department | History MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2021/kotlyar_lydia.pdf |
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