Diary
de Marie Bashkirtseff
Editorial Espinas rescues a Ukrainian writer and painter admired by Simone de Beauvoir and made invisible by history
«This is what has always scared me. To live, to have so much ambition, to suffer, to fight and, finally, to be forgotten! Oblivion… As if it had never existed. The current Ukraine, known throughout the 19th century as Little Russia, was the homeland of the author of these pages. Marie Barshkirsteff saw the light behind a prophecy that marked her as a star destined for eternity whose brilliance the passage of time has stubbornly extinguished.
She was a prolific painter who managed to study at the Julian Academy in Paris, a pioneer in the pictorial training of women. Furthermore, he wrote a diary throughout his life, some pages in which he poured out his ambitions, desires, passions and insecurities. She gave us an immortal author and the story of a precursor in an academic circle plagued by machismo.
«Having skirts, where do you want me to go? “Marriage is the only career for women,” Marie writes. “If I had been a man I would have conquered Europe,” she tells herself. Despite not reaching the age of 26, Marie’s story was an example of overcoming and tenacity not only in the face of an incurable disease that would slowly destroy her, but also in the face of a world that claimed women in their role as wife and caregiver.
She was the painter of misery and the forgotten. Her diary became a bestseller after her death and the echoes of her legend continue to inspire women around the world.
Marie Bashkirtseff (Gavrontsy, Russian Empire; November 11, 1858 – Paris, October 31, 1884) was a versatile artist who faced the morals and suspicions aroused by women who chose to pursue their artistic vocation in the 19th century. She interacted with the most prominent personalities of the time – as attested by her correspondence with the writers Guy de Maupassant and Edmond de Goncourt – and had enough poise, talent and confidence to shine in a world in which she was only considered a little girl. bourgeoisie with pretensions of glory. Marie documented her entire life in a very extensive diary until her premature death from tuberculosis at the young age of 25. He left a portentous legacy that continues to arouse the interest of critics and those passionate about painting and literature.
Source: https://algunoslibrosbuenos.com/diario-de-marie-bashkirtseff
