Linda Ganstrom
206 West 26th Street
Hays, KS 67601
lmganstr
Linda Ganstrom
Bell(e): Catherine
Porcealin figure on welded steel skirt covered with tulle
Inspiration and Celebration
Catherine the Great of Russia, Catherine II, Empress of Russia, Ekaterina
Catherine lived from May 2, 1729 to November 17, 1796 (Died age 67)
Born in Prussia as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbsty-Domburg, a princess in a small German principality with royal relations, Sophie and her mother were delighted to travel to Russia in order to be considered as a bride for the next czar of Russia. Sophie changed her religion, learned the language and customs of the Russians and generally embraced Russian court life. She found the young prince Peter III repulsive and immature as he loved to play war with soldier toys and drank a good deal at age ten. They married in 1745, when Catherine was 16. Once settled into the “young court”, they both took lovers and became embroiled in court intrique.
Catherine came to power following a coup d’etat and the assassination of her husband, Peter III. She ruled Russia from 1762 – 1796 and is renowned as the longest ruling female leader of Russia. Under her rule, she revitalized Russia, expanding both its borders by 200,000 square miles and its influence until Russia was recognized as one of the great powers of Europe. As Empress she presided over the Golden Age of the Russian Empire, Russian nobility and the Russian Enlightenment. Under her rule, the first state supported institutions of education for women were opened. Catherine commissioned the French porcelain manufactury, Sevres to create "The Parnasse," a multi-figured porcelain centerpiece celebrating the potential and achievement of women.
Imagined as a Bell(e) in her youthful power, I want to portray how Catherine grafted European culture onto the Russian core and offered women a chance to educate themselves, excel and contribute.
Copyright 2020 Linda Ganstrom. All rights reserved.
Linda Ganstrom
206 West 26th Street
Hays, KS 67601
lmganstr