Рисунок-репортаж как визуальный документ события (на материалах графики популярных экспедиций Федора Решетникова)

Abstract

The exploration of the Russian north at the end of 19th – the beginning of the 20th centuries went along with the emergence of the topic “the conquest of the Arctic” in visual arts. The artists would travel as part of research polar expeditions to the North again and again. Picturesque images of Arkhangelsk, Karelia, Northern Dvina, Novaya Zemlya, the northern sea passage would appear in mass media in front of the viewer in artistically perfect images. Fyodor Reshetnikov took part in an expedition to the North in the 1930s. The artist was young; the desire to perform a feat for his country propelled him to take part in polar expeditions led by O. Yu. Schmidt. It was the time when the materials would be documented by means of photo- and movie camera. During the expedition the artist presented his own way of depicting the work of the expedition and its everyday life. Polar expeditions, the feat of “Chelyuskin,” northern landscapes would become an essential part of artistic exhibitions in the 1930s (such as “20 anniversary of Red Army” and “Socialism Industry”). Viewers’ interest in the topic and a general popularity of the topic made the exploration of the North one of the most prominent, sincere and significant moments in the national art of the 20th century before the war.