Margaret Samu1; 1 The New School/Parsons School of Design, United States
Discussion
Why did Russian artists set their depictions of rusalki in Ukraine? The rusalka is a female spirit from Slavic folklore that began appearing in Russian poetry, theater, and the visual arts in the early nineteenth century. Painters and sculptors depicted them to demonstrate their skill in rendering the female nude, an important theme in European art, while portraying a recognizably Slavic subject. Although accounts of rusalki appeared across eastern Europe, in Russia they became associated with Ukraine. This paper traces the history of rusalka imagery by artists based in Saint Petersburg, focusing on Ivan Kramskoi and Konstantin Makovskii, who visited Ukraine in the 1870s in hopes of lending their rusalka paintings a greater sense of regional authenticity. It explores the connections between Russian imperialist narratives, ethnic stereotypes of Ukrainians, and depictions of supernatural women.
