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Natalia Goncharova was a Russian avant-garde artist, a movement brought into schools from France and influenced much of Russian art. Goncharova was significantly influenced by The Salon of the Golden Fleece, a French-Russian art exhibit in Moscow that greatly influenced Goncharova, bringing a clear school of western art influences into Russia in the early 1900s (Williamson, 2019). In this self-portrait, Goncharova molds herself into the background of her paintings, representing art education in the early 1900s. Goncharova is a fantastic final example of how much western influences have entered Russia. Russian art had moved its education to emphasize the importance of these connections through shared French galleries and many artists moving to Paris for the artistic scene, Goncharova included.

The dress of Goncharova in the picture has a bohemian spiritual degree to it, representing the spread of explorations outside of the orthodoxy of previous artworks. Goncharova’s headscarf is similar to prior peasantry artworks but seemingly an artistic accessory that has yet to be explored in initial Russian fashion. The brushstrokes differ from previous works of Russian art, making this a complete contrast to Russian traditionalism during the last centuries of art. The colors in the self-portrait are exceptionally bright and colorful, especially in her choosing to hold colorful flowers, contrasting the more traditional option of white lilies. The boldness in colors is connected to expressionist artist styles from the time and tied back to old Russian folk art, connecting the two art schools. The other importance of the lily in the photo is how it is a religious flower, predominantly seen as a purity flower. This lily, though bright orange, explores spirituality not yet seen in prior Russian art, with the former orthodox influences deconstructed.

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The painting above is by Ilya Repin, a famous realist painter of the 19th c. Russia. In the image, a man is returning home, and the faces of the people greeting him seem mixed up between excitement and dread. Ilya Repin was a part of the group the "Wanderers" during the time, a group of art students who hoped to share their art with the people (Moss, 566). France adopted realism as an artistic program and style in the 19th c., and that of France influenced this piece of art. This idea of bringing thought into paintings born into France with such precise realist art is highlighted in "Unexpected Visitors," showing the western realist movement coming to influence Russian art.

In "Unexpected Visitors," the man seems to have left for an extended time due to the dress of his dark overworn clothing. The unedited profile of the subjects highlights the realist strategy to tell a political story through realist art, enlightening possible commentary on war. The people sitting around the table, possibly a mother and her children, seem frail, like they were greatly affected by the absence. All of these are key factors into the realist school at the time being shown in Russian art; what Ilya is doing here is not painting a beautiful scene of a return but expressing truth through an odd moment of confusion and dullness, bringing out realist commentary.

The appearance of everyone in this photo makes up my assumptions on the influences of the artistic movement. As the people around the table seem frail and are dressed in dark colors, they have been affected by the man's absence in the photo. Though opening the door for the man, the lady is dressed entirely differently, adding contrast to the family. This painting, influenced by the western realism movement, shows a scene not out of beauty like many prior paintings. Still, it moves into the attempt to start showing the raw image in an effort for political discord.

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Shown above is the Reapers by Alexey Venetsianov, painted in the late 1820s. During this period, Nicholas I was the Tsar, and the dress of Russian peasants reflected classism. Shown above is a painting of two Russian peasants paused in their work. Venetsianov was known for painting rural peasants, and that can be shown in the piece above. The result is a mother and son as he looks over his mother, covered in butterflies in the field. They are both holding “reapers,” a tool used in Russia for harvesting, so we also know this piece is an image painted during harvesting season.

The dress of the characters is seasonal as traditional peasant wear of the time. The colors reflect the colors brought in from western Europe I discussed earlier, but the dress reflects a much more lower-class peasant look, due to the lack of intricate details and orthodox head scarf. Historically during this time, living conditions deteriorated for peasants during the crisis (Moss, 387). Under Nicholas I, the economic conditions deteriorated, and you can see a longing in the faces of the painting, showing what seems to be a feeling of sorrow in connection to the requirements of the peasantry. The outfits of these peasants and the lack of details in the dress show how much they contrast the upper 1% so prevalent in Nicholas I’s rule.

The dress shows that the romantic bodice of dresses typical in the upper class fell short for the peasant world with how separated society was, keeping to the themes of such isolation of the peasantry. This also is seen in the head dress of the woman, something extremely orthodox but lost on all other female subjects except for this one due to how held down peasants were by the orthodoxy. Lastly, the tools both of the characters are holding represent the lack of invention to find the Russian peasantry at the time. In the late 1820s, new instruments were coming forward to make harvesting much more efficient. At the same time, both characters in the photo hold a handheld tool that lacks the efficiency of inventions coming out of the period.

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During the 19th C. 1.5 percent of the population in Russia was nobles (Moss, 383). Romanticism influences were pervasive within the details and the intricate ruffles, as they made up a privileged estate. The silhouettes reflect the rich. The emergence of romanticism and the driving factors into the separation of the classes is a clear example of these cultural factors in how much time is clearly put into creating details and ruffles in the outfits, so pervasive in the romantic era.  This clearly contrasts the maid in the background outfit that lacks these intricate shiny romantist details. The three women highlighted in the painting stand out as the nobles and are clearly contrasting the three women in the background who have much less standout in their clothing.

The shiny fabrics and the complicated bodice of each dress show the class of each. The progression after Catherine the II, the influences from European neoclassicism into the decoration of each dress is clear as politics and enlightenment continued to spread to Europe. The two women in the center of the image are of high status and are the visual centerpieces of the art. In The History of Russian Costume by Aleshina, in the second half of the 19th c., wealthy urban individuals were known for the detailed bodices of their dresses. “Striving for a Garish Luxury led to an overload of women’s gowns with expensive fabrics, trimmings, and decorations (Aleshina, 26).” The shawls draping over the women are another indicator of Russian fashion and show the combination of romantic influences in the dress combined with the return to old Russian styles.

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Portrait of Catherine II, Empress of Russia in the Park

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Portrait of Catherine II, Empress of Russia in the Park

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The dress Catherine is wearing above is different from the expected wear of an empress as it separates from official wear and is adorned with gold decor. Catherine was known mainly for her introduction of french shapes to dress, farthingales ( hoop skirts) which can be seen in the width of her dress above (Aleshina, 22). She dressed with some typical Russian ornaments, as seen in her decorative hat, which is very popular in Russian imagery. The dress of Catherine, the movement outside the castle, and holding the dog all point to the dominance of western influence in Catherine's rule.

Catherines in the painting above is outside the castle in a dress that is not an official dress, made to make her seem much more equal, as she spent much of her reign increasing the power of nobles. Catherine's dress is not an official garment that includes any fur, an ordinary Russian decoration, showing off the western influence. To move outside of the castle turns to Catherine's theme of Enlightenment practices. Rational governance can be seen in the painting as an empathetic art turn away from ethnic Russian particularities, a common theme throughout Catherine's reign (Ploky 69). Behind Catherine is the Chesme Column, a piece built to honor the victory of the Russo-Turkish war. Standing outside the castle in front of the statue with her dog, she establishes herself as a sentimental unification of Europe in unofficial garments. Her ability to include European influence in making Russia a European power is evident in the details of her dress, her position outside, and the symbolism of her background.

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Ceremonial Dress of Emperor Peter I: Camisole

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Ceremonial Dress of Emperor Peter I: Camisole

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Peter the Great was particularly historically influential for his journeys westward and the collections of ideas he brought back. In particular, after his 1697-1698 trip abroad, he came back with strict rules of western attire ( Moss, 234). This Camisole is dated back to 1724, one year before his death, so he had already made plenty of statements about western influence. The Camisole is adorned with silver threading and made out of Gros de Tours ( a coarse silk fabric); these details are particular to western fabrication and were not common in the years before Peter the Great. Russian history was typically associated with thick garments and lots of fur due to the overall climate of Russia and the wool trade. The influences of this Camisole are much shorter than previous Kaftans.

This ceremonial dress lacks religious symbols and is embroidered with flowers and vines commonly associated with wealth. During Peter's reign, men's garments began to include the same silk fabrics as women. They had highly skilled serfs doing embroidery, which was uncommon before the influence from the west in the 1700s (Aleshina, 22). These western characteristics and changes seen in the ceremonial dress are a solid wave towards Peter the I changes to Russian culture. Peter tried to replace Russian practices with western influences; this led to many summaries of his reign as a "crisis as traditionalism" ( Moss, 235). A spread away from Russian Traditionalism can be seen in records of fashion, arts, and cultural influences being brought into the country forcefully by Peter the Great.