Timurid Monuments as Seen by The Russian Painter Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin (1842-1904): Documentation of the Cultural Heritage in Central Asia
The expansion of Russia into Asia in the second half of the 19th century was a beginning of a new era for the cultural heritage of Central Asia. Samarkand, which has become legendary since the Middle Ages with its magnificent Timurid monuments, was the most prominent center in this period. During th...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Istanbul University Press
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Art-Sanat |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/51FFF0ED97244F5AB2BC51C4448B8057 |
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| Summary: | The expansion of Russia into Asia in the second half of the 19th century was a beginning of a new era for the cultural heritage of Central Asia. Samarkand, which has become legendary since the Middle Ages with its magnificent Timurid monuments, was the most prominent center in this period. During the military activities of Russia, scientists and artists were also tasked with documenting various aspects of these lands. Vasily Vereshchagin was tasked with documenting both the military process of the Russian army and the cultural characteristics of the region, but his approach somewhat differs from many other Orientalists of the period. His paintings often reflect local and ethnographic elements with meticulous attention to detail; however, the emphasis on glorifying Russian dominance in these territories is also evident. His Samarkand scenes can be described as detailed visual documents about the situation of the Timurid monuments at the end of the 19th century, as well as providing clues about Russia’s perspective on the peoples of Central Asia, its history, and how Russia conceptually positioned itself against the Eastern world. In this paper, Vereshchagin’s Samarkand scenes are evaluated within the framework of their historical context, and the condition of the monuments is examined by comparison with the photographs of the same period. |
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| ISSN: | 2148-3582 |