Department of Ancient Belarusian Art Department of Ancient Belarusian Art

Department of the ancient Belarusian art is formed on January 1, 1980, at the head with the Candidate of Arts N. Vysotskaya (subsequently Doctor of Sciences, Professor, Laureate of the State Prize of the BSSR). Multiple expeditions of the State Art Museum of the BSSR on study cult monuments of painting and sculpture in catholic and orthodox temples of the republic preceded creation of the new scientific structure. Many works, particularly from temples, taken out of the state registration, had to carry to the museum and urgently restore them, because of threat of their disappearance. Scientific employees of the museum and other institutions of culture from Minsk, Moscow, Grodno, Mogilev took part in 70 expeditions (1968-1989): restorers, historians, photographers (director E. Aladova, N. Vysotskaya, N. Vedeneev, P. Gerasimovich, P. Zhurbei, E. Karpenko, G. Likhtarovich, E. Senkevich, N. Trifonova, N. Usova, K. Fedorishkin, A. Shpunt and others). As a result of expeditionary activity our museum has got nearly 2 thousand subjects of the historian-artistic importance. Practically new collections of the Belarusian icon painting, wooden sculpture, carving and decorative-applied art were formed .

Employees of the department organized exploratory work on inventory of the cult property in acting temples. Practically full scientific and factologic material (descriptions, sizes, photofixation) about artistic values, found for that period of time in Orthodox churches and Roman catholic churches of Belarus was collected .

For the first time the significant section of the Belarusian art of the 12-18 th cc., seasonly renewed by measure of restoration of the works appeared in the exhibition of the museum. With participation of the employees of the department it was opened in 1992 the exhibition in the branch of the museum - south-west tower of Mir Castle, and in 1995 - in the entry tower .

Employees are concerned with the study of the main forms of the Belarusian art of the 12-18 th cc. (icon painting, monumental painting and sculpture, decorative-applied art), as well as Russian (copper casting, Russian icon, ancient publications). Several monographs and more than 200 scientific articles are published on these subjects, thesises are defended. The following catalogues are prepared for publishing : "Russian copper casting of the 12-20 th cc. from the National Art Museum of the Republics of Belarus collection" (E. Karpenko); "Old printed books of the cyrillics print of the 16-18 th cc. from the National Art Museum of the Republics of Belarus collection" (N. Trifonova). In 2006 the department designed themes and exhibition plan of showing of the monuments of the ancient Belarusian art in the new building of the museum. Development of the new exhibition in the halls of Mir Castle is going on.

Aside from the main work, the employees of the department are keepers of the collection of the Belarusian icon painting (L. Sysoeva), sculpture (E. Karpenko), ancient books (N. Trifonova).

Specialists of the department made speeches on multiple scientific conferences in Belarus and overseas (Minsk, Polotsk, Braslav, Nesvizh, Mogilev, Novogrudok, Moscow, Kiev, Lutsk, Lvov, Paris, Warsaw, Crakow, Lyublin, Helm). They are engaged in the pedagogical work in Minsk high schools: lecture on history of art and restoration, manage degree works and practice of students; render consultations on scientific themes of the department; execute art expertise by the request of state organizations and private citizens. Employees designed cycles of popular lectures on history of the Belarusian art of the 11-18 th cc., technology and technique of painting, history of restoration and attribution of the monuments (N. Trifonova, E. Karpenko, L. Sysoeva).

Exhibitions prepared with participation of the department.
Works restored in SNRP M (Rostov-on-Don). Rostov-on-Don. 1981
Restoration of the museum valuables in the USSR. Moscow. 1984
Restoration of museum valuables in the BSSR. Minsk. 1985
Ancient art of Belarus. Saragosa (Spain). 1988
Ancient, new, eternal. Kiev. 1988
Tempera painting of Belorussia of the 15-18 th centuries. Minsk. 1988. Mogilev. 1989
State Art Museum - 50th Anniversary. Minsk. 1989
Art of the ancient cities of Belarus. Minsk. 1990
Art of the Renaissance in Belarus. Minsk. 1990
Icon painting of Belarus of the 17-18 th centuries. Yaroslavl - Moscow. 1990
Opening of the exhibition in the south-west tower of Mir Castle. 1992
Art of Brest region of the 17-18 th centuries. Minsk. 1993.
Icon painting of Gomel region of the 17-19 th centuries. (together with Vetka Museum). Minsk. 1994
Art of Vitebsk region of the 17-18 th centuries. Minsk. 1994
Art of Belarus of the 16-18 th centuries. New openings (Collection of V. Tsvirko). Minsk. 1994
Art of Belarus of the 16-19 th centuries. Discoveries of A. Ippel. Minsk. 1995
Art of Belarus of the 16-18 th centuries. Discoveries of N. Schekatikhin. Minsk.1996 (Materials to the 100th Anniversary of Mikola Schekatikhin 1896-1940. Mn. 1996.)
Artistic metal of the 16-19 th centuries in Belarus. Golshany (Grodno region). 1997
Art of Minsk region of the 16-18 th centuries. Minsk. 1997
Art of Belarus of the 16-18 th centuries. Discoveries of E. Aladova. Minsk. 1997
Art of Mogilev region of the 17-18 th centuries. Minsk. 1998
Art of Grodno region of the 12-18 th centuries. Minsk. 1998
Icon painting of Belarus of the 16-18 th centuries. New openings. Spain. 1999-2000. (Catalogue -La pintura d"icones de Bielorussia els segles 16, 17, 18. Nous descobriments. N.F.Visotskaja.
Local Belarusian icons of the Virgin of the 13-18 th centuries. Minsk. 1999-2000.
Dated monuments of the Belarusian art of the 17-18 th centuries. Minsk. 2000
Restoration and restorers. Minsk. 2000
Icon painting and carving of Belarus of the 15-18 th centuries. Minsk. 2000
Icon painting of the Belarusian Polesie (Marshy woodlands) of the 17-18 th centuries. (Discoveries of the employees of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus). Minsk. 2003
Icons of the Belarusian school of the 16-18 th centuries. Milan (Italy). (Catalogue - Icone della scuola Bielorussa. Icons of the Belarusian school of the 16-18 th centuries- NadezhdaVysotskaya.)
Belarus. Verge between sky and land. Icons the National Art Museum of the Republics of Belarus. Triest (Italy) 2004-2005. (Catalogue- Belarus" frontiera tra cielo e terra. Sania Gukova)
Nesvizh collections of the Radziwills. Minsk. 2004
Icon painting of Belarus of the 21st century. Minsk. 2004.
Spiritual shrines of Belarus (Icon painting of Belarus of the 16-18 th centuries). Minsk. 2005
Portraits from Nesvizhs collections of the Radziwills. Grodno. 2005

Main publications:
Painting of Belarus of the 12-18 th centuries. Intr. article by N. Vysotskaya. Compilers N. Vysotskaya, T. Karpovich. Minsk. 1980 Plastics of Belarus of the 12-18 th centuries. Author and compiler N. Vysotskaya. Minsk. 1983
Decorative-applied art of Belarus of the 12-18 th centuries. Author and compiler N. Vysotskaya. Minsk. 1984
N. Vysotskaya. Tempera Painting of Belarus of the late 15-18th centuries in the State Art Museum of the BSSR. Catalogue. Mn. 1986
Icon painting of Belarus of the 15-18 th centuries. Author and compiler N. Vysotskaya. Minsk. 1992 (republications in 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001)

N. Vysotskaya. Sculpture and carving of Belarus of the 12-18th centuries. Catalogue. Minsk. 1998 
Baroque painting of Belarus. Author and compiler N. Vysotskaya. Minsk. 2003
E. Karpenko. Belorussian art of the 12-18th centuries. /Guide. National Art Museum of the Republics of Belarus. Mn., 2002

The employees of the department N. Vysotskaya and E. Karpenko fall into the group of the authors-compilers of the most latest publishing: National Art Museum of the Republics of Belarus. Art of the 15- early 20th centuries. Minsk, 2005.

The following employees worked in the department at different years :
  K. Barabanov, O. Brigadnaya, V. Sychyov, N. Svintsova, N. Usova, V. Oreshko, E. Stepanova, I.Cheban, G. Kireyeva, D. Yackevich, A. Shpunt, V. Karelin.

The composition of the division at presentis is the folowing:
E. Karpenko, Head of the department (June 19, 2006), keeper of the ancient Belarusian sculpture fund. She has graduated from the faculty of history and theory of fine arts at the I. Repin Institute of painting, sculpture and architecture of the Russian Academy of Art. The circle of the scientific problems: ancient Belarusian sculpture, icon painting and portrait, artistic fabrics of the manufacturing production, Russian copper casting (album-catalogue is prepared).

N. Trifonova, leading scientific employee, Candidate of Arts, assistant of professor. She is concerned with problems of monumental, easel painting and book art of Belarus of the 11-18th centuries. She works on catalogue ancient printed books from the National Art Museum of the Republics of Belarus collection (with G. Kireyeva, Head of the department of rare books of the National library of the Republics of Belarus) and Russian icon from the National Art Museum of the Republics of Belarus collection (with E. Shaposhnikova, leading scientific employee of the department of keeping of the National Art Museum of the Republics of Belarus ).

A. Yaroshevich, leading scientific employee, Candidate of Arts. The circle of the scientific problems - Belarusian art of the 17-18th centuries (monumental and decorative sculpture, icon and altar painting, architecture).

L. Sysoeva, scientific employee. She has graduated from the branch of the museum studies of the faculty of history at the Belorussian State University. She is now at the post-graduate school of Krapiva Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. Subject - "Regional particularities of the Belarusian icon painting of the 17-18th centuries."

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