On 14 February, an exhibition entitled “My Family” was opened in the Museum and Exhibition Centre of VSU. The exhibition features 19 graduation works by graduates of Voronezh Arts College from various periods. All the artworks share a common theme, “Family”.
“The family is the beginning and continuation of every person. If you ask anyone what is most important in a family, the answer would be love. With a little thought, one could add loyalty, understanding, and support. All these answers are correct. Because a family is an amalgam of such concepts as love, loyalty, trust, respect, mutual understanding, common goals, and shared interests. All of these are traditional family values, which are passed down from generation to generation. Since the advent of fine art, talented artists painted pictures dedicated to the themes of dynasty, family, and motherhood. In their best paintings, they conveyed not only the individuality and unique character of people, but, first and foremost, subtle relationships, warmth, and cordiality,” said Angelika Makarova, the main guardian of the collections of the Museum and Exhibition Centre of VSU.
Dmitry Endovitsky, Rector of VSU, opened the ceremony. The rector highlighted the importance of preserving traditional values, including a strong family that binds together different generations, transmits experience and moral foundations, and is the key spiritual backbone of Russian society.
“The main building of the university, where the exhibition is held, is a sacred place historically linked to the spiritual and cultural life of Voronezh. This is where bishop St Mitrophan of Voronezh, a supporter of Peter the Great, had his cathedra. In the 19th century, a monastery bearing his name was founded on this site. Maxim Gorky worked there as an assistant gardener when he was young. After the revolution of October, 1917, the monastic cells became prison cells. The musician Leopold Rostropovich, father of the famous cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, was imprisoned in one of the cells,” said Dmitry Endovitsky.
Sergey Gulevsky, Director of the Voronezh Arts College and Full Member of the Russian Academy of Arts, said that students at the college very often choose their family, portraits, and genre scenes with those closest to them as the subject of their graduation work.
“They paint their closest and dearest, usually it is their family. These artworks turn out the best, because they are sincere,” said Sergey Gulevsky.
Yulia Shpyg, Deputy Head of the Education Department of the Voronezh Region, noted that Voronezh State University became a pilot site for the My Family project. After the university, the exhibition will begin its ‘journey’ to schools in Voronezh and the region.
Teachers of Voronezh Arts College also attended the opening ceremony and spoke at the event: Olga Dmitrienko, honorary member of the Russian Academy of Arts, Aleksandr Lavrov, Associate Member of the Russian Academy of Arts, Boris Livshits, psychologist and art therapist, lecturer of the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology at Voronezh Institute of Education Development, and Stanislav Slautinsky, CEO of the “Tochka Zreniya” opticians group.
