Society and Culture: The exhibition “The Wind of Distant Wanderings. The World Through the Eyes of a Russian Traveler of the XVIII-XXI century” opened in Omsk

The Vrubel Omsk Regional Museum of Fine Arts presents the exhibition The Wind of Distant Wanderings.

The exhibition features over 150 paintings, graphics, pieces of decorative arts, rare book editions, archeological and everyday items, copies of archival documents.

The exhibition introduces visitors to the history, selected types and popular directions for travelling of a Russian man of the XVIII – early XXI century.

The exhibition The Wind of Distant Wanderings features several thematic sections. The first section The Grand Tour Chronicles tells about travel as an important part of education. This tradition originated in England in the XVII century and was later adopted by other Europeans. Before trying themselves in the field of professional work, young aristocrats went on Grand Tour, or Grand Voyage, during which they visited foreign European countries, their galleries and churches, learned about local traditions, made new acquaintances with pundits and powerful families. Such trips resulted in new knowledge, business connections, numerous travel notes, memories, stories, reports, letters, diaries. During the long trips abroad, art collections were often formed. Russian aristocrats often travelled to Germany and Switzerland through Paris and London. A popular place to visit was Italy, while Rome, the cradle of European civilization, was a real centre of attraction for travelers of the XVIII-XIX centuries. This section showcases engravings from the Etchings of Rome series (1747-1778) by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, vedute by unknown Venetian artists of the XVIII century, works by Russian masters – Capri Island (1857) by L. F. Lagorio, Vesuvius (1897) by G. P. Kondratenko, objects of antic archeology, copies of diaries of the Great Prince Konstantin Konstantinovich from the collections of the State Archive of the Russian Federation (Moscow), and others.

The section In the Jungles of Africa tells about hunting expeditions – safaris that mostly took place in the second half of the XIX century, during the colonization period of Africa. Safaris were especially popular by Europeans at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. One of the passionate hunters was Prince Alexander Konstantinovich Gorchakov (1875-1916), grandson of a famous chancellor, His Serene Highness the Prince A. M. Gorchakov. Twice, in 1909 and 1911, he visited East Africa, which is indicated in his letters and in the portrait by N. P. Bogdanov-Belsky, presented at the exhibition.

The section Russian Riviera covers the history of Russian sea resorts, favorite vacations spots. Already in the second half of the XIX century, the southern coast of Crimea was compared to the Cote d'Azur in France, which was reflected in naming it Russian Riviera. This section features picturesque paintings by A. I. Meshchersky, S. A. Vinogradov, N. P. Bogdanov-Belsky, “Cimmerian watercolors” by M. A. Voloshin, and others.

Caucasus for a long time has been one of the favorite directions for Russian travelers. Here, flora and incredible landscapes, fast rivers and tall mountains, half-deserts and healing mineral springs are wonderfully combined. The section Inspired by Caucasus showcases works by Russian artists P. P. Vereshchyagin, A. A. Kiselyov, Y. I. Krestovsky, I. N. Zankovsky, G. F. Yartsev, fascinated by the nature of this mountain region and the customs of its peoples.

The section In the Footsteps of the Great Silk Road is associated with the charm of Central Asia for representatives of creative professions. It features paintings by V. I. Ufimtsev, N. A. Mamontov, P. V. Kuznetsov, V. V. Kukuytsev, decorative compositions and ceramics by Yuri Magay, Ramazan Mukhamedzhanov, Victor Shchurkov who allow viewers to explore the unique traditional eastern color.

A small section of the exhibition is dedicated to the development of mass tourism in the XX – early XXI century. In the post-war years, during the restoration of European countries’ economies, travels became widespread and an integral part of a new lifestyle. The vast majority of international tourist traffic was aimed at Europe, where a mass construction of hotels, various vacation and entertainment spots, and the rapid development of transport infrastructure took place. Here, visitors have an opportunity to look at Berlin through the eyes of A. N. Liberov, Prague of B. F. Fyodorov, Saumur of V. A. Teneta, and others.

Both adults and children will find the exhibition interesting, since a large-scale educational and creative program has been prepared for it.

The exhibition will run until October 16, 2022.