Exhibition "War through the Eyes of Eyewitnesses. Front-line Drawing and Poster"

Organizers:

Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation
Department of Culture of the Government of Moscow
State Museum and Exhibition Center "ROSIZO"
Museum and Exhibition Association Manege

The exhibition, which will be held in the Central Manege in parallel with the project of the Russian Military Historical Society “War and Myth,” is dedicated to one of the most dramatic periods in the history of our country - the Great Patriotic War. The works of 1941-1945 from the collections of the State Museum and Exhibition Center ROSIZO, the Central Museum of the Armed Forces, the State Literature Museum, the State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia, the State Museum of the East, the Zvenigorod Historical-Architectural and Art Museum, the Support Fund and development of scientific and cultural programs to them. S. Mardzhani will present to the audience the whole history of the path to Victory through the eyes of the participants in the events - from the trenches near Moscow to the defeated Berlin.

The theme of the Great Patriotic War occupied a central place in the work of many Soviet and Russian authors. In the postwar decades, many large-scale works of fine art were created, reminding new generations of the feat of their grandfathers. But still, works that artists created not “based on” the war, in the workshop or on anniversary dates, but as objective or, conversely, partisan observers, and sometimes direct participants in the events, are of particular value to us.

The exposition includes more than 200 paintings, original graphics and posters. Among the authors are the classics of Russian art, such as the painter Georgy Ryazhsky or the graphic artist Konstantin Finogenov, and forgotten artists, many of whom served as war correspondents at the front. From disparate graphic and pictorial images recreating the places of battles, a picture of deprivation and grief, but also a triumph of spirit, a real panorama of the events of that time is formed.

The exhibition will feature a whole gallery of portraits of combatants: from an ordinary soldier, almost a boy, to Marshal (then General) George Zhukov (artist Sergey Luppov). The front-line portrait, which is very popular in “field” conditions, has grown into a special genre, which includes options for both a sketch and a practically ceremonial image of a hero with trophies.

Many of the works included in the exposition are written in hot pursuit of events. These are Konstantin Vyalov’s study “Stalingrad is on fire,” which amazes with the almost everyday “work” of the military against the backdrop of the terrible sight of a flaming city, or the "Anti-aircraft guns on the Neva" by Alexei Zakolodin-Mitin.

The exhibition opens another important facet of the art of the war years - this is agitation, designed to create and maintain a sense of unity, readiness for self-sacrifice, confidence in victory. Heroic and satirical posters will be presented in the Central Manege: for example, the iconic work that was published in the very first days of the war, Irakli Toidze’s work “Motherland is Calling!” And the sheet “Ruthlessly Crush and Destroy the Enemy!” By famous artists Kukryniksy. A selection of “TASS Windows” is shown separately — special small-run daily posters that artists painted by hand through a stencil and then exhibited at TASS stands. These posters raised the spirit of the people and told about the events of each day of the war.

In addition, the exhibition used letters from the front to relatives and friends - genuine evidence of the time. Visitors will also see fragments of feature films about the Great Patriotic War, created in the period from the 1940s to the 1980s.

Dolgorukov N. So it was, it will be so. 1941

Zelinskaya-Plate R. Portrait of a Hero of the Soviet Union Fatakhov. 1942

Kashina N. Country to the front of the fighter testament. Go girlfriend to the factory

Keil A. Being a donor is a great honor for a patriot. 1941

Kotov P. Portrait of a senior military assistant Friedman. 1943

Luppov S. Portrait of General G.K. Zhukov. until 1943

Maltsev P. Unleash all power on the enemy… 1941

Selivanov V. Under the blows of the Red Army, German generals learned. August 1944

Selivanov V. Happy New Year! And from the earth and from the sky thunder… 1943

Selivanov V. Death to the German occupiers. 1942

Titkov I. Scout. 1942

Titkov I. Siberian artillery fled the enemy. 1942

Falk R. Street in Samarkand

Finogenov K. From the Berlin series. Canal near the museum island. 1945

Khochiev. We organize volunteer knitting, sewing, and repair. 1942

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