Self-portrait 1857

Taras Shevchenko made this self-portrait with Italian and white pencil in 1857. Shevchenko's intense gaze speaks to his powerful connection with Ukrainian identity. Born into serfdom in Russian-controlled Ukraine, Shevchenko became a symbol of national resistance through his poetry and art. He was eventually arrested and exiled for his political activities. His art reflects the struggle for Ukrainian cultural and political independence. During this period, art academies across Europe were becoming more formalized. But at the same time, there were strong artistic challenges to social norms. The Russian Imperial Academy of Arts, where Shevchenko studied, was a site of both artistic innovation and political control. Self-portraits gained popularity as a way for artists to assert their individual vision and challenge academic conventions. To understand Shevchenko's place in Ukrainian history, one can look at his written work, political history and art criticism of the period. This helps us to appreciate the complex relationship between art, identity, and political resistance.