Image of Roma people in genre realistic painting of the 19th – early 20th centuries: stylistic and narrative peculiarities

The purpose of the research is to analyze the stylistic and narrative peculiarities of the works of genre realistic painting dedicated to Roma images of the 19th – early 20th centuries. Research methodology. To achieve this purpose, the comparative historical method and art historical analysis were used. The scientific novelty of the study is justified by its purpose: the study is the first attempt in the national art history to analyze works of some European realist artists of the 19th – early 20th centuries on the Roma theme represented in the works of narrative genre. This theme has not been actually studied, although it eloquently represents the growing interest in the subjective depiction of a wide-range life of various social strata and ethnic communities in the European countries and is one that influenced the formation of more positive attitude towards Roma people in the 19th – early 20th centuries, who were oppressed by the policies of national European states. Conclusions. The article analyzes some artistic works of Thomas Baker, August von Pettenkofen, Alfred Munnings as typical representatives of realistic painting in Europe of the 19th – early 20th centuries, whose creative heritage contains some storylines dedicated to Roma images in the context of socio-economic, spiritual and cultural aspects of Roma existence. It is emphasized that these artists, as leaders of public opinion, who were not indifferent to a difficult situation of Roma communities, improved the attitude of society thereto in this period. Two ideological and narrative trends have been described. The first describes difficult social and material situation, and the second focuses on creating an areola of romance around the life of Roma communities. Thus, it is established that the works of European artists not only drew attention to social and domestic problems of the Roma ethnic group, but also are typical examples of realistic painting of that period.