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Sholokhov-Centre will Open the Exhibition Devoted to the Work of Turgenev

On April 14, 2017, an exhibition “Poetry is not Only in Verses…”presented by the State I.S.Turgenev Memorial and Natural Museum-Reserve “Spasskoye-Lutovinovo” and devoted to the life and work of the great Russian writer will begin its run in Sholokhov-Centre of the Museum-Reserve of M.A.Sholokhov.

The exhibition will display the editions of the works by I.S.Turgenev of different years including lifetime photographs, objects of the XIX – early XX centuries, the works of the artists of different epochs.

A big section is devoted to hunting, his favourite hobby. Turgenev said: “In general, hunting is peculiar to Russian people: give a man a rifle, though ropes tied, and a handful of gunpowder, he would roam the swamps, forests from morning till night wearing only bast shoes.” And Ivan Sergeyevich, the famous writer, was no less famous hunter. He knew well the best hunting grounds not only in Russia, but in Europe as well. The map of Turgenev’s hunting travels extends from Spasskoye-Lutovinovo and Lgov to Kurtavnel and Belfonten, Baden-Baden and Karlsruhe, New-Market and Pitlochri. Polina Viardo remembering about the first meeting with Turgenev said: “He was presented to me with the words: “This is a young Russian landlord, a good hunter and a bad poet.” Ivan Sergeyevich believed that “hunting in human life, in the history of mankind takes not the last place.”

The exhibition presents a unique collection of engravings, lithographs, drawings, works of arts and crafts of Russian, English, French and German masters of the XVIII – the first half of the XIX centuries devoted to the theme of hunting, rather a rare trend in art.

There are unusual illustrations made by Elisabeth Boehm who began working during the writer’s lifetime, in 1883. Turgenev highly appreciated those of her drawings he managed to see. In 1884, after the death of I.S.Turgenev, P.Viardo wrote to the artist: “A thousand of thanks, Madam, for the adorable silhouettes which you kindly sent to me. This is an absolutely wonderful and very valuable work, as it was inspired by the compositions of our forever unforgettable Ivan Turgenev.” The exhibition shows an original silhouette to the short story “A Date”.

The visitors will see the illustrations to “A Hunter’s Notes” made by the artists of the XX century: a proof print of the book cover made by B.M.Kustodiyev to the book “Singers” by I.S.Turgenev (1926), the works by V.V.Tokarev,

N.A.Ustinov, I.S.Kuskov, which were made in different manner and technique (charcoal, China ink, pencil and watercolour).

One of the sections is devoted to illustrations for the novels by I.S.Turgenev “The Noble’s Nest”, “On the Eve”, “Fathers and Sons”, for the stories “Mumu”, “Punin and Baburin”, “Asya” made by K.I.Rudakov, V.V.Domogatsky, B.D.Borovsky, B.A.Almedingen and others. The works are various in plot: portraits of heroes from Turgenev’s works, pictures of separate scenes, episodes and pieces of the artists’ philosophical perception of Turgenev’s works.

The landscapes by Leonid and Andrey Kurnakov, G.V.Dyshlenko, V.A.Dudchenko, Y.V.Zhigalov, Y.A.Kozlenkov, S.I.Prokopov and others convey the beauty and unique charm of central Russia – Spasskoye-Lutovinovo and its precincts, of Turgenev’s places of the Orlov and Tula countries – Bezhin Meadows and Turgenev Village, Malinovaya Water and Petrovsky Village. The artists do not illustrate Turgenev, they simply admire the same places, the same beauty that also inspired the great writer. Many of the works exhibited, as for example, the landscapes by V.A.Dudchenko, who imprinted Spasskoye-Lutovinovo in the 1940–50s, now have acquired a great historical value.

The exhibition “Poetry is not only in Verses…” will have a run in Sholokhov-Centre of the Museum-Reserve of M.A.Sholokhov from April 14, to June 18.

Olga Bakhtiyarova