The siege through the eyes of artists featured in the Presidential Library

The Presidential Library continues to receive phone calls, e-mails and correspondence dedicated to the events of 1941-1944 in Leningrad.

As part of the campaign to collect documents related to the siege declared by the Presidential Library on November 9, 2018, art historians who are known both in Russia and abroad turned to the Senate Square, 3, as well as collectors of the Leningrad unofficial art of the 20th century Nikolay and Raisa Blagodatov. Their collection includes an album of drawings by the artist Yuri Bazhanov (1927-1949).

The name of Yuri Bazhanov belongs to the now almost forgotten names in art. For many years only a narrow circle of Leningrad collectors and artists knew about his life and work. Perhaps, if fate let him go a little more than the years, they would know and write about him now just as they did about the artists of the Soviet underground. But Yuri was destined to live only 21 years, and his paintings and drawings were kept for a long time with close friends, participating only in "apartment" exhibitions.

Portrait sketches, symbolic images, cityscapes, nature, self-portraits are the main themes of the artist, reflected in the paintings and sketches

Herewith Bazhanov lived and worked in a very difficult time. The 40s of the 20th century, the Great Patriotic War, the siege of Leningrad. In 1943, when he was 16 years old, the young man entered the first year of art school in Leningrad to become a theater artist. The drawings of Bazhanov, submitted for digitization to the Presidential Library refer to this period. On them reflects sketches for the play “Salome”, male portraits made in pencil.

Among other things, the pencil portrait of US President Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), painted by Yuri Bazhanov in April 1943, that is, during the period when the United States of America was allies of the USSR in the anti-Hitler coalition, will be digitized and will be included in the Presidential Library’s electronic collection. Another work is a sketch dedicated to the mortally wounded Wehrmacht soldier.

The life of Yuri Bazhanov was tragic and ended very early. He died at the age of 21 on October 19, 1949. But his works are included in the Presidential Library’s electronic collections.

By the way, along with pencil drawings by Y. Bazhanov, two watercolors of his friend and fellow practitioner, who later became theater artist, I. Martynov, were sent to the Presidential Library for digitization. They no longer have subtle theatrical images, but harsh war days, combat calculations, and fire from fires.

A photograph of another “combat” drawing addressed to the Presidential Library was sent by a St. Petersburg resident Yevgeny Aganin. “I am sending the “Drawing from the Blockade” that I made in those years. Now I am 80. All my big family survived the blockade while working in Leningrad. Father - peat, took part in fuel extraction for the besieged city. Aunt and her husband - telecom operators, provided a telephone connection. All of them were awarded medals for the defence of Leningrad. Grandpa is dead. Grandma went to the "push", selling family jewels, - he wrote in a cover letter. “So we survived”.

Earlier, as part of the campaign to collect documents related to the siege, Albert Bolshakov, the author of the book “The Girl from the Blockade (Memories and Reflections)”, told the Presidential Library her story.

In total, more than 150 people responded to the call of the Presidential Library to share testimonies about that time. With the participation of the Presidential Library in St. Petersburg, the Unified City Information Center was created, which coordinates the work of the media, public organizations and cultural institutions covering events dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the fascist blockade.

In addition, in the framework of the “Siege Diary” - a weekly program on the channel “St. Petersburg” - Alexey Voronovich, a senior researcher at the Presidential Library, tells unknown details about the life of the city on the Neva from 1941 to 1944. For example, about the special role of poetry in the besieged city or how from the first months of the blockade, the morale of Leningrad residents was sought to support people throughout the country and abroad.

The Presidential Library’s portal provides access to a virtual tour of the exhibition halls of the temporarily closed State Museum of Defence and Siege of Leningrad and get familiar with the electronic collection “Defence and Siege of Leningrad”, which includes official documents, periodicals, memories of Leningrad residents, food cards, photo and newsreels.