Picturing Russia's Men

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In the nineteenth century, Russian men experienced a discontent that often stemmed not from poverty or war, but from grappling with the era's contradictory notions of masculinity. This work offers a fresh perspective on the intersection of masculinity and art history by examining how dissatisfaction arose from shifting conceptions of manhood beyond typical Western contexts. Each chapter analyzes how Russian painters illustrated evolving gender norms, revealing insights into the expected and actual qualities of masculinity as lived by men of the time. Utilizing a diverse range of sources, including untranslated letters, journals, and contemporary critiques, the exploration uncovers the complex desires and aspirations of men during this period. Readers encounter notable Russian artists like Karl Briullov, Pavel Fedotov, Alexander Ivanov, Ivan Kramskoi, and Ilia Repin, who created realist masterpieces that engaged with Western European art. This analysis leads to a culturally nuanced understanding of nineteenth-century art-making, challenging persistent myths of masculinity and offering a new interpretive history of modernism in art.