The exhibition dedicated to Russian heraldry opened at the Presidential Library

On February 17, 2022 the historical building of the Synod on Senate Square, 3 hosted the grand opening of the exhibition "Heraldic Art". The exposition was prepared by the Heraldic Council under the President of the Russian Federation and the Presidential Library and is timed to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the establishment of the King of Arms by Peter the Great, as well as the 30th anniversary of the restoration of the Heraldic Service in the Russian Federation.

Georgy Vilinbakhov, Chairman of the Heraldic Council under the President of the Russian Federation, State Herald Master, Deputy Director General of the State Hermitage, Gleb Kalashnikov, Executive Secretary of the Heraldic Council under the President of the Russian Federation, and Yaroslava Borozdina, Deputy Director General of the Presidential Library, welcomed the participants of the event.

The place for the exhibition was not chosen by chance - the State Heraldic Department existed in the structure of the Senate, located in the complex of buildings of the Senate and the Synod from the moment the buildings were built in 1835 until the early 1920s.

The exhibition “Heraldic Art” features the works of ten outstanding Russian heraldic artists of our time: A. Yu. Medvedev, I. A. Sokolov, M. O. Chernikov, M. K. Shelkovenko and V. A. Shipunov, as well as projects of the state emblem of the Russian Federation, made in 1992-1993 by the People's Artist of Russia E. I. Ukhnalev.

The purpose of the exposition is to show how diverse heraldry can be. It has the power to beautify the world, and the work of heraldic artists demonstrates how to do this.

Heraldry is a deeply utilitarian part of the life of a modern person and society: the practice of creating and using distinctive signs (coats of arms, emblems, logos, flags, banners, awards, distinctions and distinctions, etc.). Heraldry organizes social space: it allows a person to more accurately navigate the world around him. The second function of heraldry is to decorate the surrounding world.

Heraldic signs do not have pictorial standards. In heraldry, artistic diversity and constant creative search are encouraged. The more variations of the same sign exist and are used simultaneously, the more creative work is invested in the creation of new variants, the richer the heraldic culture.

Artistic variations of the sign can be endless, but heraldic signs must meet certain requirements: to be recognizable and recognizable, intelligible and contrasting, clear and eye-catching.

Heraldic art is a separate branch of fine art. It is designed to create a heraldically flawless and artistically beautiful sign or its variation.

Heraldic art in our country was developed after the establishment by Emperor Peter the Great in 1722 of the King of Arms Office, one of the tasks of which was the creation and distribution of coats of arms (and other heraldic signs) on the "correct" basis. In subsequent decades, heraldic art relied on the activities of the State Heraldic Department, as well as on the general trends of the time, which determined the direction of the artistic and cultural development of society. Russian heraldic art reached its peak at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries, when, among others, I. Ya. Bilibin, V. I. Narbut and many other famous painters worked enthusiastically and fruitfully in this area.

In Soviet times, the state heraldic service was liquidated, heraldry was declared a bourgeois relic, the skill of heraldic art was lost.

With the acquisition of sovereignty by Russia in 1991, heraldic construction unprecedented in scope began in our country. Russian heraldic art was also revived.

The formation of the state apparatus, regional structures, municipal organization in the new Russia was accompanied by the need to clearly and clearly identify themselves and their activities. This purpose is best served by heraldic signs. It was in them that there was an urgent need: from the state emblem and flag to the symbols of municipalities, from emblems and signs of federal authorities to equipping official vehicles and uniforms.

In order to solve problems professionally and in a unified manner, on February 20, 1992, the State Heraldic Service of Russia was restored (since 1994 - the State Heraldry under the President of the Russian Federation, since 1999 - the Heraldic Council under the President of the Russian Federation). Artists of different ages, creative and human destinies one after another came to heraldry, and many remained in it forever. For thirty years, heraldic art in our country has developed as a profession.

The exhibition "Heraldic Art" will run at the Presidential Library until May 1, 2022.

To visit the exposition please pre-register by phone (812) 334-25-14 or send an e-mail to excursion@prlib.ru.