“Aleksei Venetsianov and the Theatricality of Russian Painting,” chapter in Russian Performances: Word, Object, Action, edited by Julie Buckler, Julie Cassiday, and Boris Wolfson (2018)
Throughout its modern history, Russia has seen a succession of highly performative social acts that play out prominently in the public sphere. This innovative volume brings the fields of performance studies and Russian studies into dialog for the first time and shows that performance is a vital means for understanding Russia’s culture from the reign of Peter the Great to the era of Putin. These twenty-seven essays encompass a diverse range of topics, from dance and classical music to live poetry and from viral video to public jubilees and political protest. As a whole they comprise an integrated, compelling intervention in Russian studies.