Introduction

Taras Shevchenko was an important Ukrainian literary and artistic figure in the mid-19th century, and almost 200 years after his death, he still remains very relevant to modern-day Ukraine. Many parallels can be drawn between modern-day Ukraine’s current relationship with Russia, and the problems faced by the Ukrainian people. After learning about Taras Shevchenko’s life, body of work, and his relationship to today’s crisis in Ukraine, we sought to do further research into Shevchenko’s influence on contemporary 19th century Ukrainian authors and artists, as well as his predecessors that influenced his thoughts and ideas.

With regard to his literary output, we chose to focus on the founder of the Brotherhood of St. Cyril and Methodius, to which Shevchenko belonged, Nikolay Kostomarov. Kostomarov’s pioneering work and his Ukrainian nationalism were evident influences on the development of Shevchenko’s thoughts and attitudes towards Ukraine’s relationship with the Russian Empire. For his art, we focused on the artists Ivan Shoshenko, Karl Briullov, and Alexey Venetsianov. Perhaps the most important facet of the relationships among all of these artists’ outputs was their role in the transition from academism to neoclassicism, as well as their respective influences on each movement. Shevchenko’s role in the development of Ukrainian modernism movements in both literature and art is evidenced through his relationships with his contemporaries, predecessors, and followers, and this is what makes him one of the most important Ukrainian minds of his time.

Nikolay Kostomarov and Taras Shevchenko

Shortly after Taras Shevchenko ended his time as a student at the art academies, he joined an illegal political society called the Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius. His activity with the brotherhood was led to his eventual exile, with the publication of his poem “The Dream” leading Nicholas I to call for his imprisonment. Many of the anti-slavophile themes that Shevchenko developed in “The Dream” can trace their origins to the thoughts and writings of the brotherhood’s founder, Nikolay Kostomarov.

In Kostomarov’s famous essay “Two Russian Nationalities”, he identifies a separation between the Russians and the ethnically Ukrainian people, and one of the main tenets of the Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodious was the liberalization of the Ukrainian people from the tyranny of the Russian Empire. In Shevchenko’s poem “The Dream”, this call for the separation of the ethnic Ukrainians from the Russian Empire is evidenced in lines referencing a “fervent patriot” who “so deeply loves his native land”.

There is also an interesting shift present in the state of the Ukrainian language in the comparison of Kostomarov and Shevchenko. Although Kostomarov is best-known for his historical and political works, he also wrote collections of poetry that were known for their use of phrasing from traditional Ukrainian folk songs. Shevchenko’s literary output, on the other hand, has led many to refer to him as the “founder of the Modern Ukrainian language”. Although Kostomarov and Shevchenko sought to achieve the same Ukrainian nationalism and separation from Russia, as evidenced by their membership to the same society, their difference in language represents a shift in Ukrainian nationalism from one concerned with Ukraine’s heritage, to one that is equally concerned with its future moving forward.

"Kostomarov, Mykola." Kostomarov, Mykola. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

"The My Hero Project - Nikolay Ivanovich Kostomarov." Myhero.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

Relevance Today

Although it is clear that Shevchenko was a very important figure in Ukrainian thought in the 20th century and the development of modernism in the country, his relevance is just as prominent, if not moreso, given the current crisis in Ukraine. The “two Russian nationalities” as defined by Kostomarov are coming to a head in the form of the Euromaidan crisis. The idea of liberation from the shackles of Russian oppression that were the subject of Shevchenko’s radical poetry in the 1830s and 1840s is an idea that is still present in Ukraine today, almost 200 years later.

This oppression is also seen in Shevchenko’s art that sought to break away from the tradition, and heavily Russian-influenced, artistic styles of the academies in St. Petersburg in favor of a more realist approach to depicting scenes from everyday Ukrainian life. This dedication to a realistic view of the state of affairs in Ukraine is something that is very important with regard to the crisis in Ukraine today. Though Ukraine is technically its own sovereign nation, and although the tyranny of the Soviet Union is slowly, but surely, fading into oblivion, the oppression of the Ukrainian people is still just as prominent as it was then, and perhaps even in the time of Shevchenko. The Ukrainian people’s efforts to stage public demonstrations in the public eye is founded on ideals about Ukrainian nationalism that have their origins in Kostomarov’s work, continued by that of Shevchenko, and exemplified by the break from academism that occurred in Ukrainian art in the mid-19th century. By looking at his influences, his contemporaries, and the current situation in Ukraine, it is clear that Shevchenko’s thoughts and beliefs were important developments in Ukrainian thought that still hold weight in the thoughts and actions of the people of Ukraine today.

Alexey Venetsianov and Taras Shevchenko

Alexey Venetsianov was one of Shevchenko’s teachers at the St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts.  Venetsianov is considered one of the first Russian artist to begin depicting scenes of peasants and rural life.  Venetsianov attracted other young artists from poor backgrounds such as Grigory Soroka, much like Taras Shevchenko.  Venetsianov obviously had a large impact on the growing of Shevchenko as an artist and many of Shevchenko’s works later in life were also of serfs in his native Ukraine.

Below are two depictions of peasants by each of the two authors.  Reapers by Venetsianov and Kateryna by Shevchenko show scenes of rural life in Ukraine and Russia.  Kateryna was a portrait depicting one of Shevchenko’s poems.  It is a great example of critical realism.  In the story Kateryna is impregnated by an army officer and her family, including father sitting down next to her, disown her as she waits for the officer’s return.  The intense feelings that come through in the poem are exemplified in this great piece.  Reapers by Venetsianov could also be considered critical realism.  The two children with sickles in hand lead to interesting thoughts about peasant working class life.  Unlike in Kateryna the butterflies on the girls hand and soft faces of the children lend a more romantic picture of the lifestyle.  Venetsianov died in 1847 in a tragic carriage accident, this is around the time that Shevchenko left the academy pursuing both poetry and other artistic endeavors.  Nonetheless, it is obvious that Venetsianov left a lasting impression on Shevchenko.

Kateryna by Taras Shevchenko

Reapers by Alexey Venetsianov

Resources

[1] http://www.artsstudio.com/reproductions/new_venetsianov.htm

Ivan Soshenko and Taras Shevchenko

Ivan Soshenko and Taras Shevchenko’s relationship started when Taras was just a boy.  Ivan met Shevchenko in 1835 and introduced him with Karl Briulliv, Alexey Venetsianov and other relevant Russian and Ukrainian artists soon thereafter.  In Shevchenko’s pseudo-biography, The Artist, the narrator is Soshenko talks about meeting Shevchenko as a boy and their endeavors thereafter.

In this prose work Shevchenko shows his admiration for his friend and mentor.  The work starts with Soshenko finding Shevchenko sketching a statue in a courtyard.  The serf Shevchenko is cautious in going to Soshenko’s house and getting closer to the artist.  Soshenko is persistent in the making Shevchenko continue pursuing his art, seemingly making Soshenko a huge catalyst in Shevchenko’s development.  Soshenko went on to help free Shevchenko from serfdom and get him into the St. Petersburgh Academy of Arts.  It almost seems that if it weren’t for Soshenko the development of Shevchenko as an artist and poet would not have blossomed. 

Shevchenko later in life wrote many works against serfdom in Ukraine. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to see his hope come to fruition in his homeland.  The fight against serfdom in Shevchenko’s time parallels current Ukrainian struggles surprisingly well.  Even now that Ukraine is its own country free from Russian rule; it is still not free from the Russian influence and control.  Ukraine to develop as a nation has to be able to make its own laws and let its government develop without worrying what their neighbors have to think.  Euromaidan can still be seen as a continuation of Shevchenko’s goals to free his country or in his own words “Rise ye up and break your heavy chains”.  Furthermore explaining why Shevchenko’s poetry is so prominent in today’s Ukrainian revolution. 

Resources 

[1] http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asplinkpath=pages%5CS%5CO%5CSoshenkoIvan.htm

Nikolay Kostomarov and Taras Shevchenko

Shortly after Taras Shevchenko ended his time as a student at the art academies, he joined an illegal political society called the Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius. His activity with the brotherhood was led to his eventual exile, with the publication of his poem “The Dream” leading Nicholas I to call for his imprisonment. Many of the anti-slavophile themes that Shevchenko developed in “The Dream” can trace their origins to the thoughts and writings of the brotherhood’s founder, Nikolay Kostomarov.

In Kostomarov’s famous essay “Two Russian Nationalities”, he identifies a separation between the Russians and the ethnically Ukrainian people, and one of the main tenets of the Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodious was the liberalization of the Ukrainian people from the tyranny of the Russian Empire. In Shevchenko’s poem “The Dream”, this call for the separation of the ethnic Ukrainians from the Russian Empire is evidenced in lines referencing a “fervent patriot” who “so deeply loves his native land”.

There is also an interesting shift present in the state of the Ukrainian language in the comparison of Kostomarov and Shevchenko. Although Kostomarov is best-known for his historical and political works, he also wrote collections of poetry that were known for their use of phrasing from traditional Ukrainian folk songs. Shevchenko’s literary output, on the other hand, has led many to refer to him as the “founder of the Modern Ukrainian language”. Although Kostomarov and Shevchenko sought to achieve the same Ukrainian nationalism and separation from Russia, as evidenced by their membership to the same society, their difference in language represents a shift in Ukrainian nationalism from one concerned with Ukraine’s heritage, to one that is equally concerned with its future moving forward.

Karl Briullov and Taras Shevchenko

Karl Briullov was a known mentor and comrade of Taras Shevchenko.  While studying at the St. Petersburg academy of fine arts Taras studied under Briullov for quite a few years. In fact Briullov donated his portrait of Vasily Zhukovsky, a Russian poet, to a lottery to buy Shevchenko’s freedom from serfdom in 1838.  Shevchenko learned a great deal from his mentor and this can be seen in similarities between the two’s artistic styles.  Both painters moved through different phases in art in their careers.  Briullov is regarded as a key figure in the transition from neoclassicism to romanticism in Russia.  While Shevchenko started painting in the similar academism style before portraying more realist scenes of poverty and landscapes in Ukraine in his later years. 

 The two paintings in this post, Gipsy Fortune Teller (1841) by Shevchenko and An Interrupted Date (circa 1825) by Briullov show both the similarities and differences in the two artist’s styles.  Notice the hands meeting at the center of the painting, this being a very typical Briullov attribute making its way into Shevchenko’s works.   Also, the symmetry seen in the painting shows an academistic trait between the two works.  However, the Shevchenko works has a realist touch with both people wearing simple clothes against a light simplistic background.  Briullov’s work on the other hand has well-dressed individuals and a darker background accentuating the details other than the people.  Shevchenko according to literature stepped away from the academism style in around 1840 and this painting seems to be a very fitting example of the transition, while still showing resemblances to his mentor’s works. 

Gipsy Fortune Teller Taras Shevchenko (1841)

   An Interrupted Date Karl Briullov (circa 1825)

Resources:
[1] http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/82592/Karl-Pavlovich-Bryullov

[2] http://www.ukemonde.com/shevchenko/