The Economics of Russian Folk Art in the 19th century (2010)

Undergraduate: Jennifer Arey

Faculty Advisor: Louise McReynolds
Department: History

---

Much has been said about the strong role that ethnic nationalism and the creation of a new Russian identity played in shaping Russian art in the 19th century. However, often neglected in this discussion is the fact that, while Russians recoiled away from the forces of industrialization and westernization, they often inadvertently embraced it as well. My paper specifically focuses on the changes in folk art tradition through the 19th and early 20th century. By this point, no longer was folk art merely art for the common folk. It also becomes something beyond purely traditional or utilitarian, and no longer was it necessarily passed down the same way it had been generations before. More and more, it seems that the folk art of the period just prior to the revolution was dictated less by tradition and more by the market, consumer tastes, and even the influences of the Russian state and aristocracy in redefining what it means to be Russian. Interestingly, folk art in 19th century Russia was both rejuvenated by capitalism, but at the same time was something to be saved from the “vulgarity” and “soullessness” of capitalist society. This strange dichotomy shows folk art as being something which embraces western economic structures, but at the same time holds them at arm’s length. Either way, the art of the period certainly shows that the driving motive for the revival of folk art runs deeper than mere nationalistic feeling.