Petrovichev Web-page as a way of study and popularisation of creativity of the artist.
A. Loburets, H. KimIn December 1999 the museum celebrated 125th anniversary of Pyotr Petrovichev (1874-1947), perhaps, the most known artist of Rostov.. The favourite Levitan student, he occupies a worthy place in art culture of the XXth century. The exhibition devoted to Petrovichev creativity was open in the Picture gallery of Rostov museum to this anniversary. The creation of Petrovichev Web-page soon began for accommodation it on the museum web-site (www.rostov.yar.ru). It is the next joint work of the scientific employees of the Picture gallery and information-advertising department of the Rostov museum (about other projects of these divisions of the museum the messages in the reports at conferences EVA’98, EVA’99, IOL’99) were made.
The given work is caused as desire to use advantages WWW in museum activity, and by following circumstances. Rostov is rich with a cultural history, but on advantage the city is famous as the centre of ancient Russian culture. The widely known unique Kremlin ensemble, monumental painting, medieval art, icon painting and painted enamels. The collection of the XX-th Century art kept in the museum, is known to public not only a little, but also to experts, which is caused by a complicated museum history. During 1930-70 years the status of a museum, and with it direction of work repeatedly changed. The rate of the scientific employee engaged in study of the collection of the XX-th Century art, was introduced into the staff of the museum only in 1996. Significant part of the museum web-site, shows the XX-th Century artist’s creativity completely enough, expands the idea about the Rostov museum as storehouse diversified, though there are not enough of investigated collections.
Pyotr Petrovichev was born in the Rostov district, in 1891-1892 worked at the Rostov Museum of Church Antiquities. The artist came to Rostov during all his life, landscapes, architectural landscapes, the interiors of churches created here make a significant part of his heritage. Pyotr Petrovichev - Rostov phenomenon, the collection of his works can become as attractive object for the tourists as architecture and painted enamels.
Another important task is to attract attention of the experts to the Rostov Petrovichev collection and to work on study of the artist’s creativity, which is being carried out here. In spite of the fact that Petrovichev’s name had been written down into the history of Russian art long ago, his creativity is insufficiently investigated, there is no monograph, albums reproducing the basic artist’s works. Much material, without which the knowledge of the artist’s heritage and the time, when he worked the study of which is complicated, remain partially not revealed, not systematised. Some facts of the artist’s life repeatedly published do not correspond to the archives facts. First of all it concerns the early Petrovichev’s biography, in particular, his work in the Rostov Museum of Church Antiquities. Petrovichev’s huge heritage is dispersed in numerous museums and private collections. Using the new information technologies for the collection and processing lots of materials does researcher’s work more productive, and putting into the Internet will fill the lack of the polygraph editions.
From these tasks the structure of Web-page was developed, according to this tasks all information is located on two levels: the information of popular character and scientific publications.
Pyotr Petrovichev’s Web-page consists of a number of parts. First, “Exhibition”, reproduces conditions and atmosphere of a concrete museum hall. The real museum exposition consists of all Petrovichev’s works from of the Rostov museum collection (eighteen), and also, 5 works from a private collection, which are in the museum for a temporary storage. The paintings show various stages of Petrovichev’s creative way: from the earliest “Tea Drinking in a Village” (1898), painted when he studied at Moscow College of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, up to pictures “Still-life. Flowers” and “Ostankino. A theatre hall” (1945-1946), painted during the last years of the artist’s life.
Petrovichev’s degree painting “March. The spring road” (1903) is exhibited, which meant the end of his studies and for which he had received his large silver medal and degree “of the class artist”. This landscape is more than the student's work, in which Petrovichev’s paintbrush was shown with all evidence - the density of a colourful layer, the dense touch, which had become “the visit card of the artist”.
Three pictures “Summer village”, “Spring twilight”, “Rainy autumn” dated to 1900-s became according to the V. Lapshin’s words, “happy times, prepared by efficient work, by long strivings, that had given him forces, energy and reliance in work”. The paintings “Summer Village” and “ Rainy Autumn ” were on display at the first artist’s personal exhibition in 1917.
The significant part of the exhibition includes landscapes of Rostov. For the first time the artist’s landscapes were exhibited in 1910 at the exhibition of the Society of Wandering Art Exhibitions. The critics wrote that Petrovichev “has understood the language of stones. The stones speak, sing, pray and fascinate by its charming harmony”.
The architectural historical interior played a special role in Petrovichev’s creativity: interiors of ancient Russian temples, first of all Rostov, beautiful halls of Ostankino Palace and Kuskovo. He also painted peasant’s rooms, rooms of summer houses. In each case Petrovichev finds adequate art means. Petrovichev’s still-lives are solemn, wonderful bouquets in the gilt ampire vases.
Thus, all genres in which the artist worked (landscape, architectural landscape, interior, portrait, still-life) are shown at an exhibition, there are also other paintings and etudes. Small in size the exhibition nevertheless allows to make up the image about the artist’s creativity.
Paintings are digitally marked with the help of the digital chamber NiconCoolPix 930 and scanner HP ScanJet Intelligent 3300. For creation of a virtual exposition the special software was not used. The real hall of a museum was photographed, the virtual exposition was made on this basis with the use of the graphic editors and HTML-technologies which allows bring close the necessary work and to receive the information about it. Such decision of a virtual exposition makes it accessible to the users of provincial museums which do not have the qualitative telephone connection.
The virtual exposition serves as a means of distribution of ideas identical to those that are expressed by the real exposition itself. At the same time the virtual exposition includes additional information if compared to the contents of the museum exposition, which would be inappropriate there, but gives the opportunity of various levels of interpretation of the material. If in a real exposition explanation contains the information about the time of creation, technique, material, time and source of receipt, the virtual exposition includes the information about previous place of a picture, about the objects or people, represented on it, histories of creation, figurative - stylistic analysis, estimation of meaning of the given work in the artist’s creativity. This level of a virtual exposition is addressed first of all to experts. The complete catalogue of Petrovichev’s paintings in Rostov museum collection is actually shown, and it is the first publication for many paintings. As Ŕ. Lebedev wrote in his report “Institute” an Open society(community) ” (Soros foundation): the program of support of networks of cultural heritage” at the conference EVA’99, situation, when the first publication of a museum subject occurs in Internet, is typical of the majority of the Russian museums.
Not only significant collection of Petrovichev’s paintings is stored in the Rostov museum, but also documents connected with his life and creativity. These documents, mostly are gifts of the artist’s family to the museum in 1999, have made a visual line of following Web-page section, devoted to the biography of the artist. Numerous photos of the artist and members of his family, his friends and familiar places connected with his life, artist’s drawings, memorable things, various documents, posters, invitations, certificates are shown here. Though the materials, available in the museum, do not allow to illustrate all periods of life and artist’s creativity in regular intervals, the decision nevertheless is taken to base only on museum’s archives and library so that popularisation museum funds, and also evidently to see, in what direction it is necessary to work for stocking funds with archives materials.
As well as in previous, in part “Biography” has a two-level arrangement of the information: the brief biography of a popular character and more detailed explanations, historical information. In this part the special role of Rostov information of the artist is underlined by important facts about town, architectural monuments and other objects repeatedly painted by the artist. The part “Biography” is connected with the references to other web-site pages, devoted to Rostov, its vicinities. The combination of the image, text and sound allows to create the atmosphere of those places, which the artist liked to visit.
A special Web-page is devoted to the history of acquisition, exhibiting and study the Petrovichev’s collection in the Rostov museum. Petrovichev’s paintings were among the first receipts of the Picture gallery of the Rostov Museum of Antiquities opened on the 4th of September, 1921. The collection of the Petrovichev’s painting is the largest personal collection in Rostov funds of the museum. There are archives documents and photos with museum expositions of Petrovichev’s paintings in this part. There are also photos, made during the museum expedition in 1999 to Visocovo, where the artist was born, and the village Niconovo, where Petrovichev was baptised in the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin. The publications of the Rostov museum employees about the artist’s creativity are shown separately, and also the information about events devoted to Petrovichev with the participation of the Rostov museum employees (opening days, conferences, creative evenings, anniversary celebrations etc.)
Separate part of Web-page is devoted to the Petrovichev as a teacher. Petrovichev taught in the Moscow regional art school of 1905 memory in 1937-1943 years. He had brought up talented students, well-known landscape painters. In the part “Petrovichev’s Students” the brief biographic information about artists, who were Petrovichev’s pupils are shown. There are also works of the specified circle of the authors (N. and Î. Petrovichev, N. Zercalnicov, V. Chulovich) from the museum collection.
For Web-page it is supposed to prepare a selection of link on web-sites, containing the information about the artist’s creativity. For Web-page advertising the key word is registered on the web-site “Museums of Russia”. Interaction at the given stage will be provided with the museum e-mail, the address is given on each page.
Thus, the work at Web-page is connected with the creation of an jubilee exhibition and is the integral part of a wider circle of activity connected with studies and popularisation of artist’s work. The basic managing principle while writing the script for Web-page serves the idea: to give initial representation about the museum collection by means of using the convenient navigation for the user; to involve the visitors to the exhibition and to give a new side to its understanding taking into consideration specific features of virtual visiting.
We hope to attract experts to communication and to creative exchange, to transform Web-page into the centre of the analysis and synthesis of the information about Petrovichev’s work. The following stage of work - creation of Petrovichev Virtual museum, not possible in reality, where best Petrovichev works are supposed to be shown. Is huge work, which consists of the understanding of great amount quantity of information from different museums, which is already being done.
Loburets Andrew
- engineer of the automated control systems. Graduate from the faculty of automation of control systems of the St.-Petersburg University of Vegetative Polymers. In the State museum-preserve “Rostov Kremlin” since 1999.Kim Elena Vladimirovna
, art historian. Graduated the faculty of Theory and history of art of Leningrad institute of painting, sculpture and architecture. Scientific employee of the Picture gallery of the State museum-preserve "Rostov Kremlin" since 1998.The State museum-reserve "Rostov Kremlin"
opened its doors in 1883, originally as the Rostov Museum of Church Antiquities. The Rostov Museum has many fine examples of icon-paintings, carved wooden sculpture, famous painted enamels, known as finift. The museum also has a fair collection of paintings by well-known Russian artists from various periods. Rostov museum is especially valuable object of a cultural heritage of the peoples of Russian Federation.