On February 14, the National Library hosted the grand opening of the exhibition "Belarus liberated: the commandment of 1944", dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from Nazi invaders.
The Great Patriotic War is one of the most tragic pages in the history of Belarus. One of the first attacks by German troops on the territory of the USSR fell on the territory of the country: on June 28, 1941, six days after the start of the war, Minsk was taken, and by the end of August the entire territory of Belarus was occupied by German troops. Three years of occupation and heavy fighting, which swept through the country twice, in 1941 and 1944, claimed about two million lives and left a deep imprint on the national consciousness. For several generations, recent history has been divided into "pre-war" and "post-war".
The exhibition presents works from different years: the earliest of them were created during the war years. The work of several generations of artists is open to the audience, each of whom brought their own worldview, their own understanding, and their own experience to the military theme.
The works of the 1940s and 1950s were created by artists whose creative maturity fell on the pre-war and war years – I.A. Davidovich, E.A. Zaitsev, N.M. Voronov, P.A. Danelia. The works of this period, created in the realistic style "in hot pursuit", are characterized by the immediacy of the impression, the uncomplicated narrative of the plots, the "documentary" in the transmission of even small details. Often, artists, before writing a work, made many sketches and sketches, for example, this is how the monumental work of V.V. Volkov "Minsk. July 3, 1944." Some of the preparatory sketches are presented in the exhibition.
Kurochkin Akim (1912-2004).
To the last breath. 1961
In the 1960s, a new generation came to art - those who found the war in childhood and adolescence, and as an artist formed already in the post–war years (M.A. Savitsky, L.D. Shchemelev). In the work of the masters of the new generation, it is important not to record the events of the war and impressions from them, but to understand them in the context of post-war realities. There is a gradual departure from the heroic pathos and narrative of the plots, the works of the new generation are characterized by simplicity and conciseness of expressive means, an in-depth psychological approach. This is how the "harsh style" that distinguishes Belarusian Soviet painting of the 1960s and 1970s is formed.
Mikhail Savitsky (1922-2010).
Going into the night. 1980
In the 1980s and 1990s, the approach to the military topic was again undergoing changes. The war years go further and further into history, new generations of artists come who have not seen the war, and as a result, more and more compositions of a philosophical nature appear that are not related to specific events and personalities. Works about the war acquire a romantic character, they are widely saturated with symbols, metaphors, and allegories. Various experiments with colors and composition, the blurring of genre boundaries, the connection of different layers within the framework of one work, the understanding of the military theme in a religious, mythological, parable perspective – these are the characteristic features of the works of the late twentieth century.
Nikolai Zalozny (1925-1982).
Portrait of a participant in the Civil and Patriotic wars of Nechaev A.M. 1982
The exhibition "Belarus Liberated: the Commandment of 1944" provides an opportunity to get acquainted with iconic works from the collection of the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus. To see the genre diversity of works on military subjects and the multiplicity of ways of interpreting military themes in fine art, to trace how the pictorial language changed from narrative in the works of the military and the first post-war years to more complex, philosophical readings of the last decades of the twentieth century.
The event was attended by Vadzim Hihin, Director General of the National Library of Belarus, Anna Kononova, Director General of the National Art Museum, Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee on Labour and Social Issues of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, retired Major General, Chairman of the Republican Council of the Belarusian Public Association of Veterans Ivan Gordeychik, Reserve Major General, Chairman of the Republican Council public association "Belarusian Union of Officers" Sergey Bobrikov.
The event was organized by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Belarus, the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus, and the National Library of Belarus.
The exhibition will be open until February 25th.
The completion date can be changed.
Admission is by the library card or by the social and cultural center ticket.
The working hours of the exhibition correspond to the working hours of the library.
For more info: (+375 17) 368 37 37.
The material was provided by the Public Relations Department.
