On February 12, Maria Chernysheva delivered a presentation at the Center for the Advanced Study of Russia titled “The Feminization of History in 19th-Century Culture: Russian Art and the Polish Influence.”
In 19th-century Europe, writers, artists, and composers became increasingly fascinated by female characters from the national past. In her book, Maria Chernysheva focuses on visual representations of women as historical figures in the Russian Empire, particularly in the Kingdom of Poland. Maria Chernysheva explores how these representations conveyed various meanings and values related to national identities. By comparing Polish and Russian history paintings, she demonstrates that while they were often inspired by French models and shared common elements, they played different roles in Polish and Russian cultures. What became a significant and widespread trend in Poland remained rather uncommon in Russia.
Speaker: Maria Chernysheva, Smolny Beyond Borders
Discussant: Anna Dżabagina, Columbia University, and Chrstine Ruane, University of Tulsa.
Image: “La Mort de Barbara Radziwiłł” by Józef Simmler, from Wikimedia Commons (via Wikipedia).