The Culture of Ukraine
8th October 2024
Presented by Rosamund Bartlett
Synopsis
This lecture tells Ukraine's story through the shared culture which binds its proud people together. We will explore the sacred art and architecture of Kyiv and its links to Byzantium, as well as the distinctive characters and ethnicities of Odesa and Lviv.
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Tracing Ukraine's complicated multi-ethnic history also means looking at its rich folk culture traditions. These range from native song and the secret codes embedded in ancient embroidery, which have exerted a surprising impact on modern painting and contemporary haute couture, to Cossack dancing and borshch.
Profile
Rosamund Bartlett is a cultural historian with expertise in Russian literature, music, and art. Her books include Wagner and Russia and Tolstoy: A Russian Life. She has also written a biography of Chekhov, and published translations of his short stories and letters. Her new translation of Anna Karenina was published in 2014.
Currently her research interests focus on Russian and European Modernism, opera, and the intersection between politics, history and the arts, and she has lectured on these and other topics at universities and public institutions around the world. Her most recent articles and lectures have focused on Aubrey Beardsley’s reception in Russia, Chekhov’s relationship with Tolstoy, the women artists of European Modernism, and the Ukrainian avant-garde.