Artistic representations of the world of childhood in Russia's nineteenth-century fine art

A “visual turn” toward the phenomenon of childhood took place during the time of Romanticism, which was clearly expressed in portrait painting. Representation of children’s artistic images was particularly characteristic for Russia’s painting tradition in the 19th century. The article deals with the semiotical, historical and cultural specificities of both perception and interpretation of the world of childhood, which were typical for Russia’s art of that period. As a result of the study, the authors conclude that an entire spectrum of children’s feelings and complex emotional experiences became the subject of artistic projections in Russia’s nineteenth-century painting.