#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. On the occasion of Vasily Surikov’s birth 175th anniversary, the State Russian Museum presented for the exhibition in Krasnoyarsk the most ambitious painting by the artist – The Conquest of Siberia by Yermak.
The canvas was brought to Vasily Surikov’s homeland, along with 20 of his other works.
The largest work by Surikov, weighing about 200 kilograms and measuring three by six meters, left the State Russian Museum for the first time in 84 years. Before that, the restorers brought it to an exposition form and strengthened it.
The masterpiece was moved to Krasnoyarsk on a special shaft – this ensured careful transportation. The canvas was transported in a special van at the necessary humidity and temperature.
The original from the Russian Museum will stay in the region’s capital until July 9, while the exhibition Vasily Surikov: to the 175th Birth Anniversary. Within the national project Culture in the homeland of the great painter, in Krasnoyarsk, the artist’s significant works, painted in different periods, will be presented – many of them will be shown for the first time.
The exhibition will bring together 38 original works of the artist from the funds of the Russian Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Krasnoyarsk Art Museum named after V.I. Surikov, the Krasnoyarsk Regional Museum of Local Lore and the Surikov’s Museum-Estate.
The Russian Museum has already sent Surikov’s works to Krasnoyarsk. The artist himself believed that his ancestors came to Siberia with the Yermak expedition. The painting, the plot of which is the decisive battle of Yermak’s squad with Khan Kuchum’s army in 1582, was painted by the master in 1895. The artist worked on it for four years, making trips to places related to the battle. Ilya Repin wrote: “The picture’s impression is so unexpectedly powerful. The viewer is stunned by this unseen. His imagination is overwhelmed”.
Recall that a few years ago, Surikov’s The Capture of the Snow Town was brought from the Russian Museum to the regional capital. There were queues to see the painting. Previously, Surikov’s canvases were shown at the Arts Night at the Norilsk Museum.
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Text: Marina Horoshevskaya
