The exhibition 'Frontline Portrait. Soldier's Fate' opened in Novopolotsk
The exhibition's distinctive feature is that for the first time, 10 pencil sketches of Belarusians are presented to a wide audience, whose combat path has been traced thanks to the joint efforts of Russian and Novopolotsk specialists.
– The special value of the portraits lies in the fact that they represent not just a front-line soldier, but a person who goes into battle, understanding that they may never see their family and friends again. They go to defend their Motherland. Perhaps, in recent years, this is one of the best exhibitions in our region dedicated to the events of the Second World War and the feat of the people, – shared his impressions Vladimir Terentyev, Chairman of the Regional Council of Deputies. He thanked the leadership of Novopolotsk and the organizers of the exhibition for the opportunity to see the truth about the war captured by artists.
The exhibition "Front-line Portrait. Soldier's Fate" opens a series of projects in Novopolotsk dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War.
– The gazes of the front-line soldiers, our compatriots, who defended the opportunity for future generations to live in a peaceful country, build, and raise children, touch the soul. Our sacred duty is to honor the memory of those who gave their lives for our freedom and independence, – emphasized the head of Novopolotsk, Dmitry Demidov.
This project was realized thanks to the efforts of museum staff, researchers, joined by concerned citizens. Ksenia Antonova, the chief custodian of the funds of the People's Museum of Military Glory of Secondary School No. 2 in Novopolotsk, helped establish the combat path history of our compatriots depicted in the graphics. The artists' names, surnames, and ranks written on the back of their works served as a clue. According to Ksenia Alexandrovna, it took six months to search for information about the front-line soldiers, with details painstakingly gathered from various sources and archives. It was also possible to find relatives of Private First Class Maxim Kunkes, a sniper awarded the Order of the Red Star and the medal "For Courage," whose portrait became part of the exhibition. The sons, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of Maxim Isakovich, a native of the Vitebsk region, were among the participants of the solemn gathering. They were presented with a copy of the front-line soldier's portrait. For Maxim Kunkes' children, the gift holds particular value as it is the only image of their father from the war years.
Another significant moment of the exhibition opening was the replenishment of museum collections with family relics. Yevgeny Belyaev from Novopolotsk donated his father Pavel Zakharovich Belyaev's awards, a participant of the Great Patriotic War, to the city museum's collection.
The exhibition is a joint project of the Novopolotsk Museum of History and Culture and the Victory Museum of Moscow, implemented within the framework of a cooperation agreement signed in November 2019.
Colorful Belarusian landscapes, placed alongside front-line portraits, help to understand: memories of their small homeland were an elixir of courage for the soldiers, giving them strength to fight the enemy, noted Vladimir Belyaev, Director of the Museum of History and Culture of Novopolotsk, Chairman of the Novopolotsk City Organization of the Belarusian Peace Foundation. According to him, in April, the exhibition will be supplemented with "Windows of Satire" posters created by Soviet poets and artists who worked in the system of the Russian Telegraph Agency. This will be another step in the development of Belarusian-Russian cooperation aimed at perpetuating the memory of the Fatherland's defenders.