Representation of the Irony and Tragic Pathos of War: The Aesthetics of Humanism in V. V. Vereshchagin's Art

Abstract

Vereshchagin (Василий Васильевич Верещагин, 1842-1904) is a painter belonging to the era of Russian realism, but not active in Russian Academy of Arts or the Wanderers(передвижники) representing the contemporary era, but has an artistic position through personal activities. He was the first Russian military artist, and was also a painter to receive a medal from the Russian royal family for participating in battles. He is also an artist who was nominated for the 1st Nobel Peace Prize in 1901. In this paper, based on Vereshchagin s war-themed series of works and his writings, we intend to examine what Vereshchagin s realism means. Accordingly, in this article, we will analyze Orientalism and Oriental image focusing on the ‘Turkestan Series’. Through ‘Balkan Series , we examine the suffering of mankind caused by war, sympathy for soldiers, and the image of the tragic pathos of war that human death shows. Finally, we look at history of imperialism shown through the ‘Execution Trilogy’ and raise the question of inhumane executions.