The Presidential Library to spotlight the influence of Russian emigrants on European art of the 20th century

On June 8, 2022, at 12:00 Moscow time, the Presidential Library will host a video lecture “Russian comics of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia” as part of the cultural and educational project Knowledge of Russia. The event, organized by the Presidential Library and the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Belgrade, will be the second in the Russian comics series.

Russian and Serbian literary critic, translator, Doctor of Philology, Professor of the University of Belgrade Irina Antanasievich will tell about the phenomenon of "Russian comics" created in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by Russian emigrants of the first wave as well as about its influence on the development of European art.

During 1935-1941, a new genre of art, comics, successfully established itself in Europe. Among its many variations, a special place belongs to the phenomenon of "Russian comics", created in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by emigrants from Russia. Thanks to them, the genre that appeared in the Balkans at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries received a new development and recognition in Europe. Publishers and entrepreneurs, artists and screenwriters, translators and communicators stood at the origins of the golden age of Yugoslav comics and introduced Russian themes and Russian artistic traditions into European comics.

The author of the lecture, Irina Antanasievich, has been studying the history and poetics of Russian comics for many years, studying the symbolic space of the culture of Russia and the Balkan states. She is also the author of books on this topic. The electronic collections of the Presidential Library involve two of her works: Russian Classics in Pictures (2015) and Russian Comics of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (2018). In 2021, by decree of President of Russia Vladimir Putin, Irina Antanasievich was awarded the Pushkin Medal for her great contribution to the promotion of the Russian language and Russian culture in Serbia.

The information partner of the event is the social network VKontakte.

The video lecture is free. The meeting will be broadcast exclusively in the official group of the Presidential Library VKontakte and on the library's portal in Live broadcasts section.

The first lecture of the cycle "Russian comics" was held on May 26 and was devoted to the history of the development of this genre of art in our country. Irina Antanasievich told what comics have in common with caricature and popular prints, advertising and propaganda posters, and what unites Russian and European comics. The video recording of the event is available on the page of the Presidential Library in the social network on VKontakte.