Works by the Grekov Studio of War Artists Will Adorn the Venue of the Spasskaya Tower Festival

The cooperation between the Grekov Studio of War Artists and the Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival started two years ago. In 2020 guests of the Festival will once again have an opportunity to see a number of unique works created by the studio artists that will adorn the Festival venue on Red Square.

“Our close cooperation with the Spasskaya Tower Festival began last year. Though for the first time we worked together back in 2018. Our sculptors are the authors of the memorial plate dedicated to Lieutenant General Valery Khalilov, first Music Director of the Festival, placed at the building of the Gnesin Music Academy in Moscow. Cooperation with such a great Festival is an honor for our studio. Last year pictures by our artists were used in the printed materials issued by the Festival, this time they will be seen by thousands of Muscovites and guests of the capital visiting the Spasskaya Tower Festival venue”, told Yuriy Biruykov, Deputy Head of the Grekov Studio. “This is the thirteenth run of the Festival and it’s dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War. Thus, we’ve granted the Festival the right for reprinting of thirteen of our works representing ‘Musicians at War’ and ‘Celebrating Victory’ series. Fedorov’s ‘Preobrazenskiy March’, Prisekin’s ‘Holy War! A.v. Alexandrov. 1941’, Mokrushin’s ‘Wail, Accordion, Wail’, Drozdov’s ‘In the Dugout’, Dmitriwvskiy’s ‘Fireworks of the Victory’, Ananiev’s ‘Belarus Railway Station. 1941. Alexandrov’s Ensemble’, Avakimyan’s ‘Fireworks of the Victory’ and many others”, added Mr Biruykov.

The Studio made a significant contribution to the struggle against the enemy during the Great Patriotic War. Their immediate participation in military action enabled the artists to truthfully convey in their works the reality of the battle-fields and experience in areas behind the lines. The war-years’ studio record lists a plethora of precious works including paintings by Nikolai Zhukov’s and Viktor Klimashin’s ‘We’ll Defend Moscow!’ and Leonid Golovanov’s ‘We’ll Reach Berlin!’ (1941) as well as Pyotr Krivonogov’s ‘Victory’ (1948). It’s also worth mentioning more than 200 graphic portraits of the Nazi war-criminals, defence lawyers, witnesses, judges and journalists created by Nikolai Zhukov during his visit to the Nuremberg trials.

The Grekov artists haven’t stopped working and creating even in these difficult times of the world pandemic, with each new project fulfilling patriotic, cultural and educational roles. Thus, they have completed the diorama ‘Height 776’ at the Ryazan Airborne Forces Museum, took part at the exhibition dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Great Victory in Kaluga displaying 18 works, and inaugurated several memorials honouring memory of the heroes of the past and present.

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On November 29 1934, the People’s Commissar of Defence of the USSR Klim Voroshilov issued an order establishing the Grekov Studio of Amateur Red Army Art under the aegis of a special cavalry brigade. The studio was named after Mitrofan Grekov, who actually came up with idea of forming the studio. Mitrofan Grekov studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg and was in the class of Franz Roubaud, founder of the panorama painting in Russia. Grekov was a very talented and dedicated student mastering the art of large scale painting. He helped his teacher while Roubaud was working on the ‘Siege of Sevastopol’ and ‘Battle of Borodino’ compositions. Later Grekov created his ‘Capture of Rostov’ panorama, the first work of the genre made in the Soviet times.

Today the studio is a unique assembly of craftsmen and artists who keep loyal and continue the traditions of Russian realism as well work in the vein of contemporary realism. The studio boasts a large team of 30 superb artists featuring highly-skilled painters, sculptors and graphic artists who are numbered among the «Top 100» of Russia’s best artists. The studio is the only artistic company in the world that specialises in creating dioramas and panoramas. In addition, the studio artists participate in projects focused on restoration, and the creation of murals and iconostases for churches, as well as frescoes.

Interiors of the Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces, iconic posters by Nikolai Zhukov’s and Viktor Klimashin’s ‘We’ll Defend Moscow!’ and Leonid Golovanov’s ‘We’ll Reach Berlin!’, Pyotr Krivonogov’s famous ‘Victory’ painting, the world-class works of art, like the sculpture ‘The Motherland Calls’ on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd and the statue of the Soviet soldier in Berlin Treptower Park by Yevgeny Vuchetich, ‘Battle of Stalingrad’ panorama in Volgograd, reconstruction of Franz Roubaud’s ‘Battle of Borodino’ panorama make just a small part of the studio’s years-long brilliant record.