Despair

Marie Bashkirtseff, born Maria Bashkirtseva in 1858, was a Ukrainian and French artist, a master of genre painting; sculptor, and writer.

The artist's legacy includes over 150 paintings and 200 drawings. Unfortunately, a significant portion of her work was lost during the 1917 Revolution and World War II. In Ukraine, only three of Marie Bashkirtseff's paintings remain, housed in art museums in Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Sumy.

The artist was born in the village of Havrontsi, Poltava Governorate. She spent her childhood in the village of Chernyakivka. When her parents separated at age 12, she spent most of her youth traveling across Europe with her mother. They stayed for extended periods in Germany and along the Riviera before eventually settling in Paris.

Privately educated and gifted in music from a young age, Maria Bashkirtseff lost the opportunity for a singing career when illness damaged her voice. Resolving to pursue art instead, she studied painting at the Robert-Fleury studio and the Académie Julian in France.

Starting around the age of 13, the artist began keeping a journal, which is likely what she is most renowned for today. The diary, first published in 1887 after the artist's death, was the second diary by a woman ever published in France. Its release was an instant success.

The artist suffered from tuberculosis. Maria Bashkirtseva died in 1884 when she was only 25 years old. 

The artist created a remarkable, though relatively conventional, body of work during her brief life. Among Bashkirtseva's original paintings are "A Meeting" (1884) and "In the Studio" (1881).

Marie Bashkirtseff’s artwork also includes such pieces as "Autumn" (1883), "Self-portrait with a Palette" (1880), "The Umbrella" (1883), and many others. 

In 1882, she created her iconic painting "Despair", which now belongs to the collection of the Nykanor Onatskyi Regional Art Museum in Sumy. The artistic techniques in this painting are minimal yet rich in meaning and symbolism. The use of contre-jour—depicting the woman against the light of a window—enhances a sense of isolation from her surroundings, amplifying the feeling of helplessness and inevitability. 

“A Meeting” is a painting created in 1884 that is now held at Musée d'Orsay. In this work, the artist depicted six boys in urban settings. Boys stand in a circle around an object that is yet to be identified, but which is the main subject of their discussion. Their clothes imply that boys come from working-class families and the same area. Their smocks identify them as schoolchildren, placing the scene in the early 1880s. Additionally, there is a little girl walking away, depicted on the right side of the painting. 

Marie Bashkirtseff, however, doesn’t introduce any social commentary in her work. She observes the children with a certain detachment, ultimately reinforcing a familiar bourgeois stereotype. Yet, the image of the girl and the title of the painting itself invite further interpretation. Given Marie Bashkirtseff’s engagement with the feminist movements of her time, one might see in this detail a subtle critique of a misogynistic society. 

“The meeting” by Marie Bashkirtseff was exhibited at the 1884 Salon and was warmly received by both the public and the press. 

The artist started keeping a journal at a very tender age of 13. In her writing, Marie shared her observations on society, fashion, art, the church, and even the government. Scholars highlight that the artist’s diary serves as a historic document, as well as non-fiction writing. Moreover, it offers readers a renewed understanding of the specific, discriminatory challenges that women in the past faced in the art world, revealing how female art students were hindered by societal constraints and received unequal support in their artistic education.

In 1887, the journal was published for the first time, and it was an instant success. Sadly, publication occurred after the artist’s death. Marie’s distinctive writing style, inviting readers to join her on a psychological journey marked by intellectual and artistic awakening, inspired future writers to use their own journals as creative outlets for intense emotions.

Another notable and widely admired work is Marie Bashkirtseff’s The Umbrella (1883). The painting depicts a young girl standing frontally against a muted, textured background, holding a large black umbrella. Its dark surface frames the girl's face, creating a dramatic contrast with her pale skin. Her expression is serious and introspective, almost defiant, with piercing, direct eyes that confront the viewer. The girl wears a dark cloak or coat, emphasizing the somber, rainy-day atmosphere. The muted palette enhances the somber, introspective mood of the scene.

The Umbrella by Marie Bashkirtseff was created in 1883 in the Realism style. The artist used oil on canvas to depict this evocative scene.

During her artistic career, Marie created several self-portraits. Her self-portrait from 1878 depicts her from the chest up, looking to her right with a thoughtful or slightly distant expression. She is wearing a large, dark hat adorned with a prominent plume of feathers, which adds a striking element to the composition. Her dark hair is visible beneath the hat. Her attire beneath the hat is dark—possibly a coat or a fur collar—indicated by the textural brushstrokes. The lighting illuminates her face, drawing attention to her features.

Her Self-Portrait with a Palette (1880) depicts the young artist herself, positioned slightly to the right and facing directly forward with a serious, direct gaze. She holds a palette with visible dabs of paint, suggesting her profession. Her right hand, partially obscured, appears to be holding brushes or some other artistic tools. This prominent work is held in the collection of Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nice (Jules Chéret).

As a painter, Bashkirtseff drew inspiration from her friend Jules Bastien-Lepage's admiration for realism and naturalism. While Bastien-Lepage was inspired by nature, Bashkirtseva looked to the urban environment for her subject matter.

She created an impressive, though relatively conventional, body of work. Her painted and graphic works are mainly genre and portrait pieces that reveal the world of Parisian suburbs, depicting the everyday lives of working women, servants, homeless children, and schoolchildren. A smaller portion includes landscapes, still lifes, and rare works on biblical or historical themes. 

Her talent was immediately recognized; her works won numerous medals and awards at exhibitions, and French newspapers and magazines praised her enthusiastically. Bashkirtseva's art was highly esteemed by Anatole France and Émile Zola.

Works of Bashkirtseff Marie have been offered at auctions several times. Since 2012, the artist’s auction record price stands at $182,616 USD for The Reader (Portrait of Dina Babanina), which was sold at Dorotheum in Vienna in 2021. 

Today, art enthusiasts and collectors have the opportunity to purchase high-quality digitized versions of Maria Bashkirtseff’s works through the UFDA website. These digital editions allow admirers of her legacy to experience and preserve her masterpieces in a modern format, while also supporting the promotion of Ukrainian cultural heritage. One of her most iconic and likely autobiographical works, “Despair,” is currently available. To acquire this work, simply click the "Request to Purchase" button on the work’s page.