Interview with the Deputy Chair of the Council, Director of the Folklore Theatre Larisa Kolegova

How did the idea of creating the Museum of Slavic Culture come about?

The Museum of Slavic Culture was established on the basis of the Museum of the artist Konstantin Vasilyev, which was severely damaged after it was set on fire in 2009. The museum building was restored, and most of Konstantin Vasilyev's canvases had to be moved to the city of Kazan, the artist's creative homeland, for their safety.

To the remaining paintings by K. Vasilyev were added canvases by other painters working on Slavic themes. The museum can be proud that the first exhibitions of works by artists Alexander Uglanov and Vsevolod Ivanov were held within its walls. Paintings by such masters as Andrei Klimenko, Alexander Sinyakin, Pyotr Mikhailov, and Viktor Goncharov also found their permanent place here.

The museum seeks and finds worthy artists who continue the best traditions of Slavicist painters.

The Konstantin Vasilyev Museum of Slavic Culture, located in the north of Moscow in the Lianozovo district.

Konstantin Vasilyev was a well-known artist of the 1970s. What made him famous and what influence did he have on Soviet art?

The public's first acquaintance with the artist Konstantin Vasilyev took place in 1978, when the current director of the Museum of Slavic Culture, A. I. Doronin, brought two dozen canvases by a then little-known artist from the village of Vasilievo to Moscow and organized an exhibition of his works in the exhibition hall of VOOPIiK (now the Znamensky Cathedral on Varvarka). The success was astounding! Moscow buzzed with excitement, and Konstantin Vasilyev's name began to spread by word of mouth.

Subsequent exhibitions followed one after another in various cities across the country. Their organization was undertaken by the "Club of Lovers of K. Vasilyev's Paintings," created by A. Doronin. The paintings also traveled abroad: to Spain, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia. In 1988, the club received a ruined building which, once restored, became the Museum of the artist Konstantin Vasilyev.

The paintings of this brilliant Russian artist reveal the deep essence of the Russian people. Looking at his canvases, the viewer is involuntarily immersed in historical past. What is the secret of such an effect on the viewer? Undoubtedly, it is the artist's own potential and the highest skill of a painter capable of inspiring even an apparently cold landscape.

But Vasilyev also made his own discovery. He created a new direction in painting — a synthesis of mythology and symbolism. Mythology defines the content of the plot, while symbolism allows one to understand the hidden, deep essence of the phenomenon. The artist's creative legacy has been exerting a profound influence on people's consciousness for several decades. Vasilyev opened a kind of secret door into our deep historical past, and many contemporary artists and writers have rushed into the space thus revealed.

What is the museum's main mission?

The main mission of the Museum of Slavic Culture is to broaden existing understandings of the true historical significance of our land, the customs and traditions of the Rus and Slavs, to introduce people to the cultural heritage of our ancestors, to restore lost knowledge, and to awaken the genetic memory of humanity.

Museum hall. Photo: official VKontakte group of the museum

What exhibits are displayed in the museum's collection?

The museum displays paintings on the theme of Primordial Rus – Vedic Rus by authors such as Konstantin Vasilyev, Boris Olshansky, Andrei Klimenko, Pyotr Mikhailov, Alexander Sinyakin, and other artists. The museum's exhibition also features the remarkable sculptural work of Viktor Goncharov. The unusual mini-sculptures in stone and wood, "The Living World of Stone," immerse the viewer in a space of fairy-tale images and elemental spirits. There is an ethnographic exhibition made up of items of folk life and household utensils, as well as antique musical instruments. It is located in a separate wooden building — the terem of the folklore theatre.

Ethnographic collection of the museum. Photo: official VKontakte group of the museum

What tour programs does the museum offer?

1. General guided tour of the entire exhibition
2. Children's interactive tour "Epic Rus"

This is an educational journey through the pages of ancient Russian history: an introduction to the heroes of the bylina epic from the "Bylina Cycle" by the artist Konstantin Vasilyev, as well as his works and those of other artists from the museum's collection. On the exhibition stand children will find an exciting quest — a search for various mythical creatures depicted in the stone mini-sculptures by Viktor Goncharov.

3. Riddles of the Russian izba

The introduction to the museum's ethnographic exhibition takes place in a separate log building — a terem — in two different formats: a one-hour tour or an interactive two-hour program with tea. This program familiarizes visitors with items of folk daily life and crafts, and with antique Russian musical instruments. A variety of garmoshkas (button accordions), gusli, and balalaikas are on display, and visitors can hear these old instruments played. Traditional toys and protective folk dolls are also presented, and there are interactive programs for children.

In addition, we run educational and play-based programs that explain the meanings of the kolovod (year-circle) holidays — special days that serve as the high points of the year. Each holiday program is held according to the calendar time when the holiday is traditionally celebrated by the people.

There are four main important kolovod days in the year — the spring and autumn equinoxes and the winter and summer solstices. Between them there are four additional points of the year. The Slavic calendar and its holidays introduce a person into a certain rhythm of life tied to nature, the earth, and the sun — the luminary on which life on earth depends. Therefore all major holidays are closely connected with the so-called Great and Small solar crosses.
Our festive kolovod programs: Maslenitsa, Spring Calls (Zaklichki vesny), Kolyada, Kupala, Oseniny, Kuzminki.

In the children's Maslenitsa program the historical traditions of celebrating Maslenitsa are explained, the true meaning of the holiday is discussed, folk games and contests are held, and there is a tea with pancakes prepared on site. At the end a straw effigy of Marena is burned.
Maslenitsa, Spring Calls (spring equinox, March 21) — from this time onward the day gradually becomes longer than the night. The sun-youth Yarilo grows and melts the snow; Spring-beauty arrives. The Slavs celebrate Maslenitsa, Spring Calls, Ladodenie, and Krasnaya Gorka.

Oseniny (autumn equinox, September 22) — the night becomes equal to the day and then gradually lengthens. Oseniny and later Kuzminki (in November) are celebrated.

The Kolyada program is timed to the winter solstice — the shortest day and the longest night of the year. The infant sun Kolyada is born, still weak and rising very low above the horizon. In Rus' they celebrated the birth of the Sun, the Winter Holy Days dedicated to the Divine Light — the Creator of all manifested things in the Universe. The program is built on ancient rites and folk games associated with the winter holidays.
Traditional observance of the calendar holidays includes an account of how such holidays were celebrated in Rus', revealing their meaning and significance. This includes ritual play-based programs, the leading of the goat and the bear, learning kolyadki, shchedrovki, and avsenki associated with the holiday. The program traditionally concludes with tea and refreshments.

What are the museum's plans for the future?

To develop new programs and tours, and to expand the lecture series and concert programs.

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