Mikhail Fedorovich Romanyuk (1944 – 1997), an art historian, teacher, ethnographer, researcher of folk art and material culture of Belarus, turns 80 on January 3.
Each generation inherits
what their parents' talent and hard work have created,
ancestors, something that expresses the national image
the people, their soul, their aspirations, what each
A generation should appreciate and multiply...
Mikhail Romanyuk
Mikhail Romanyuk was born in the village of Kuznets, Braginsky district, Gomel region. After school, he studied at the Minsk Technological College. In 1971, he graduated from the Belarusian State Theatre and Art Institute (now the Belarusian State Academy of Arts) with a degree in fashion designer (studied under P. V. Maslenikov). Until 1997, he worked at the Academy (since 1989, Head of the Department of History and Theory of Arts, since 1982, associate Professor, since 1995, Professor). Teacher of courses on foreign art, the history of costume of the peoples of the world, the history of the material and spiritual culture of Belarus. One of the founders and the first editor-in-chief of the "Art of Belarus" magazine (now it has the name "Art"). In 1975 he became a candidate of art history, in 1978 – a member of the Union of Artists of the BSSR.
On the eve of the publication of the 1st issue of the "Mastatstva Belarusi" magazine
Mikhail Fedorovich collected and studied the national heritage associated with traditional costume and other types of folk art.
He conducted an art history and ethnographic zoning of the Belarusian folk clothes of the XIX-early XX century according to regional characteristics. In 1981, he published the album "Belarusian Folk Costume", which includes photographs and slides of clothes made by the author during the expeditions of 1967-1980.
He is the author of the manual "Folk Costume of Chechersk and the surrounding area, late XIX – mid XX centuries“ (1993), one of the authors and artist of the book ”Songs and costumes of Pinshchyna“ (1994), the author of a series of booklets and posters ”Belarusian National Costume" (1989 –1992), a set of postcards (1981), postage stamps (1995 –1997) and others.
Mikhail Romanyuk has collected a rich collection of over 100 pieces of unique ethnographic material. Since 1972, he has participated in national and international art exhibitions. As a costume designer, fashion designer M. Romanyuk created stage costumes for the National Academic Folk Choir of the Republic of Belarus named after G. I. Tsitovich, the State Academic Dance Ensemble of Belarus and some amateur groups, and also acted as a consultant for feature films of the "Belarusfilm" film studio, helped in the creation of expositions of the Zaslavsky Museum of Crafts and Folk Crafts.
For almost 25 years, the researcher has been collecting materials about Belarusian crosses and funeral rites of Belarusians, which are an integral part of folk culture and customs.
Mikhail Fedorovich Romanyuk is the winner of the 1996 Man of the Year Award of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Belarus (for achievements in art). Scientists note that today he has no equal in terms of the scale of ethnographic research.
More information about the famous Belarusian ethnographer can be found in the the electronic resources of the National Library of Belarus: the electronic catalog and the online encyclopedia "Belarus in persons and events".
The material was prepared by the Research Department of Bibliography
https://artmuseum.by/ru/events-news/antalogiia-prygazhostci-tradytcyiny-belaruski-kastcium -information about the exhibition project of the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus " Anthology of Beauty. Traditional Belarusian costume", which includes photographs by Mikhail Romanyuk.
