The Image of Mihai Viteazul in 19th-Century Romanian Paintings

Abstract

The Image of Mihai Viteazul in 19th-century Romanian Painting. The Romanian artistic movement of the 19th-century assisted the political endeavor of national legitimization by establishing the Romanian identity, in its various forms, through art. By adapting the example of their neoclassical and romantic counterparts they depicted various patriotic symbols on their canvases in order to appeal both to the population, from a visual standpoint, and their inherent political cause: obtaining independence and unifying the historical Romanian provinces. Such unity was first achieved by the historical figure of Mihai Viteazul, a Wallachian prince of the late 16th century. As a consequence, his figure became one of the main motifs illustrated in the art of the time, being closely tied to the concept of Romanian historic identity. The artists underwent a process of research in order to represent and bring forward a faithful image of the ruler, and some of his greatest achievements. Both historical and literary sources were approached, resulting in a diverse body of paintings, which will be discussed in the present article. The research aims to establish the sources on which the various artworks were based, the accuracy of the represented message with respect to the historical background of the ruler as well as the various stylistic approaches of the artists in question.