RIHA Journal 0096 | 18 September 2014 "The Russian Gérôme"? Vereshchagin as a Painter of Turkestan1 Maria Chernysheva Peer review and editing managed by! Armen Kazaryan, State Inst tute o! Art Stu" es, #osco% Reviewers! &leb 'rs(o), *at ana Karpo)a " stract "The Russian Gérôme" – thus was Vereshchagin dubbed by English critics in 1872 and the c m!aris n was re!eatedly t be made by c ntem! raries" This article l #s at where the tw artists really d re$eal similarities and at the dee!%r ted di&&erences in their !resentati n & the 'rient( with an em!hasis n Vereshchagin)s &irst large w r#( his Tur#estan series" *lth ugh Vereshchagin als t # u! riental sub+ects later in his career( in this auth r)s !ini n the Tur#estan series re!resents the m st &ruit&ul attem!t t master the ,rench m del & rientalising !ainting( ab $e all that & Gérôme( n t nly in his wn eu$re but in Russian nineteenth%century art as a wh le" *s such( it !r $ides us with ideal material t assess the indi$idual and nati nal &eatures & Vereshchagin)s rientalism" Contents Intro"uct on +omen, boys an" se)ere" (ea"s n t(e or ental st pa nt n,s o! -eresh$(a, n an" &.r/me 0ol t cal aspects o! -eresh$(a, n's *urkestan ser es 3r t cal recept on o! t(e *urkestan ser es. 5Internal5 Russian or ental sm 3onclusion #ntroduction -1. In 1801 Vasily Vasilye$ich Vereshchagin 21812%13415 le&t the 6t 7etersburg *cademy & *rts and set && & r 7aris, where he entered the !ainting studi & 8ean%9é n Gérôme 21821%13415 at the :cole des ;eau<%*rts. There he studied( n and &&( & r some three years. Vereshchagin was t maintain contact with Gérôme thr ugh ut his li&e" In the 1874s, when the Russian artist decided t settle in ,rance and b ught land at =aisons-9af&itte near 7aris, Gérôme hel!ed him build a large studi there( &itted ut in accordance with the $ery latest standards.2 Vereshchagin was t describe the ,rench artist as " ne & the greatest & contem! rary !ainters"> and in the 1884s he continued t see himsel& as bel nging t the sch l & Gérôme"1 1 / w uld li#e t thank ?r" @atherine 7hilli!s & r translating my article int English and ?r" Laurie ?ahlberg 2;ard @ llege( Aew B r#5 & r her ad$ice and c mments n the te<t" / am als m st grate&ul t my re$iewers ?r" Tatiana Car! $a 26tate Tretyak $ Gallery( = sc w5 and ?r" Gleb Ersho$ 26t 7etersburg 6tate Dni$ersity5 as well as t ?r" *rmen CaEaryan 26tate /nstitute & *rt 6tudies( = sc w5 & r their hel! in !ublishing this article" 2 9etters &r m Vereshchagin t Vladimir V" 6tas $( 2F =arch 187F( 24 'ct ber 187F and 27 A $ember 187F( Переписка В. В. Верещагина и В. В. Стасова -The @ rres! ndence & V" V" Vereshchagin and V" V" 6tas $.( 2 $ ls"( = sc w 13F4( $ l" 1( >F( 13( 01" 'n the relati nshi! between Gérôme and his ther & reign student &r m 6t 7etersburg *cademy & *rts seeG *gata HIjci#( "8ean-9é n Gérôme and 6tanisJaw @hleb ws#iG The 6t ry & a ,riendshi!"( in: RIHA Journal -27 ?ecember 2414.( htt!GKKwww"riha-+ urnal" rgKarticlesK2414Kw jci#%ger me%chleb ws#i%en 2accessed >4 =arch 24115" > 9etter &r m Vereshchagin t 6tas $( 2F =arch 187F( The !orr "#ond nc o& '. '. ' r "hchagin and '. '. *+aso,( $ l" 1( >1" 1 9etter &r m Vereshchagin t 6tas $( 1> 8anuary 1884( The !orr "#ond nc o& '. '. ' r "hchag)n and '. '. *+aso,- $ l" 2( 77" License: The text of this article is provided under the terms o! the Creative Commons License CC-BY9NC-ND 3.04 RIHA Journal 0096 | 18 September 2014 -2. *t the end & the 1834s when Gérôme was w r#ing n his br nEe scul!ture Tam rlan 21838L 7ri$ate c llecti n5( he asked Vereshchagin t send him military access ries suitable t the hist ric !eri d" Encl sed in a letter & 2 =arch 1837 Vereshchagin sent Gérôme !h t gra!hs & a h rse & the ste!!es" 6i< days later he con&irmed that he had despatched c stumes and weap ns t 7aris and asked that Gérôme return them when he had &inished with them( suggesting that they were items he used in his wn !aintings. Vereshchagin e<!lained the !ur! se & $ari us accessories and shared his th ughts n what Tamerlane must ha$e l #ed li#e"F ->. This latter e<change br ught the tw artists t gether in the last years & their li&e( but it had its r ts in an earlier !eri d( when the Russian artist was +ust setting ut as a !ainter & the 'rient( str ngly in&luenced by the w r# & his ,rench teacher" It cann t be denied that Gérôme)s interest in Tamerlane( a @entral *sian ruler and military commander( wed something t the e<am!le & Vereshchagin( wh dealt with the age & Tamerlane in a number & !aintings in his Tur#estan series, com!leted in 1871"0 The Tur#estan series was Vereshchagin)s &irst large !r +ect( including !aintings, studies and drawings" *lth ugh Vereshchagin also turned t riental sub+ects later( in this auth r)s !ini n the Tur#estan series re!resents the m st &ruit&ul attem!t t master the ,rench m del & rientalising !ainting( ab $e all that & Gérôme( n t nly in his wn eu$re but in Russian nineteenth%century art as a wh le" -1. Hhen three & Vereshchagin)s !aintings &r m the Tur#estan series – then still in !r gress – were &irst e<hibited abr ad in 1872( at the Russian art secti n & the * %on$ Annual In+ rnat)onal /0h)1)+)on in 9 nd n( English critics declared him t be "the Russian Gérôme" because & the tw artists) comm n interest in de!icting the 'rient( including the dar#er( bl dier side & li&e"7 Vereshchagin)s c ntem! raries continued t make the lin# with Gérôme in later years. -F. The 6 $iet literature n Vereshchagin menti ns Gérôme merely in !assing( as a skilled artist wh "als " tra$elled in the East and !ainted rientalising !ictures which include $ery !recise ethn gra!hical details"8 = re $er( in the eyes & 6 $iet writers, Vereshchagin and Gérôme bel nged t tw inimical cam!s, Realism and *cademism" ?espite the &act that Vereshchagin)s w r# is & !articular interest & r its rece!ti$eness t F Gerald =" *c#erman, The 2)& and 3or4 o& J an-26on 76r8. 9 :)+h a %atalogue rai"onné- 9 nd n and Aew B r# 1380( 1F4L 9aurence ?es @ars( ? miniMue de , nt%Réaul< and Éd uard 7a!et( The *# %+acular Ar+ o& J an526on 76ro. ( e<h. Nat"( 7aris 2414( >10" 0 6tanislaw @hleb ws#i( a 7 lish student & Gérôme( als treated the image & Tamerlane in the 1874s" 7 Ou ted in: Vladimir V" 6tas $( "PQNNRST UVWXYVNZ V NRQ[ZY\Q]S ^S [X^_X^NRX` WaN\SWRb" -Russian 7ainting and 6cul!ture at the 9 nd n Exhibiti n]( in: ;<=ранн>е со?инени@ -6elected H r#s.( > $ ls"( c sc w 13F2( $ l" 1( 221" 6tas $ cited the Aa)lB T l graph as his s urce" 8 6ee *ndrey C" Lebede$( ВасиCиD ВасиCEеви? Верещагин9 Fи<нE и твор?ество GHIJ5GKLI -Vasily Vasilye$ich Vereshchagin: Li&e and H r# 1812%1341.( = sc w 1372( >7%>8" Lebede$ was the main 6 $iet s!ecialist in the w r#s & Vereshchagin. License: The text of this article is provided under the terms o! the Creative Commons License CC-BY9NC-ND 3.04 RIHA Journal 0096 | 18 September 2014 the latest tendencies & ,rench academic !ainting( such writers were m re !re!ared t ascribe Realist ide l gy t Gérôme than t admit that Vereshchagin)s w r# had any element & academic !ainting" @lari&ying and e<!anding n many aspects & Vereshchagin)s li&e and w r#( 6 $iet art hist rians n netheless remained largely &aith&ul t the general inter!retati n laid ut by Vladimir Vasilye$ich 6taso$(3 !articularly that great ide l gist & Realism)s understanding & what attracted Vereshchagin t Gérôme)s studi " 7utting himsel& in Vereshchagin)s !lace( 6taso$ & und in Gérôme)s !aintings n t merely a !assi n & r the 'rient but "a t tal lack & )idealisati n) and )academicism) -d.( a !r & und and indestructible realism in capturing and c n$eying li&e( a respect & r the e$eryday in !lace & & rmer b mbast( an understanding & )the little ending t li&e) -""".( bitter accusati n & the many terrible and cruel things that hap!en""14 -0. In essence( this is t +udge Gérôme)s w r# against the standard & VereshchaginL thus in 6taso$)s reading it is n t Vereshchagin wh is the Russian Gérôme( but Gérôme wh is the ,rench Vereshchagin" 7 st%6 $iet writings re$eal a m re c m!le< understanding & the relati nshi! between the art & the tw men"11 *lth ugh !arallels between the w r#s & Vereshchagin and Gérôme are menti ned in the m dern literature12( n se!arate study n this sub+ect has been !ublished" -7. 6 me & Vereshchagin)s !aintings in the Tur#estan series ech Gérôme)s rientalising w r#s n t nly in sub+ect but in com! siti nal structure( speci&ic icon gra!hical m ti&s and the $erall stri#ing e&&ect" ;ut this nly ser$es t underline the di&&erences between h w the 'rient is de!icted in the w r# & the Russian and the ,rench artists.