The culture of the gentry estates

After the Belarusian lands became a part of the Russian Empire, the residences of the magnates lost their role as major centres of arts. New centres of cultural life emerged in shlachta (gentry) estates with their libraries, art collections and salons.

In the 19th century, the gentry made 10 p.c. of the total population in the Belarusian lands and played an important role in the development of education, literature and arts. From ‘gentry nests’ emerged dynasties of poets, musicians and artists.

The initial art education was provided by private teachers. The Polack Jesuit Academy and Vilna University were the only higher educational institutions in the area providing professional training in art. Despite clear differences in their destinies, interests and preferences, artists followed the stylistic tendencies of Romanticism.

In 1820, the Polack academy was abolished; the Vilna University was closed after the 1830–1831 uprising. Artists had to go for professional training to St. Petersburg, Moscow, Munich or Paris. Returning to their homeland and choosing Belarus for permanent residence, they managed not only to avoid cultural antagonism in their work, but also to combine different features common to Slavic art traditions with Western and Eastern European trends and thus to develop and enhance the traditions of local art.