Architecture and Paintings
Belarus regards preservation of its historical and cultural values as one of its priority missions. In 2009 around 500 sites will be refurbished, redecorated, or reconstructed. In March 2009 a major overhaul of the edifice of the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater was completed. Still in progress are the projects on renovation of the Mir Castle, the palace and park ensemble in Nesvizh, Savior and St. Euphrosyne Church in Polotsk (reconstruction of the 12th century frescos).
At the same time, contemporary Belarusian architecture makes display of innovation through spatial and constructive solutions. Public buildings are marked by artistic expressiveness resulting from a confluence of realistic and avant-garde solutions. In town-building, there is an increasing popularity of grand-manner and decorative arts, sculpture and varied colour solutions; graphic means and decorative lighting are widely used. Over the recent years Belarus has built and remodelled such facilities as the National Library of Belarus, the Moskovsky bus terminal, the Minsk railway terminal, the football arena. The opening of the Hotel d’ Europe in 2007 marked the completion of another stage in the project on recreating the historical centre of Minsk.
Artistic life in Belarus is dynamic and varied. Exhibitions are becoming increasingly popular; joint exhibitions featuring Belarusian and foreign artists are being held often; art-design, photo art and computer graphics, as well as other types of artistic expression, are all on the rise now. The metaphorical and conceptual art has come to replace thematic art. Belarusian artists draw on foreign artistic experience; there is a process of artistic assimilation with the international artistic trends. The traditions of realism in fine arts are still strong (M.Savitsky, G.Vashchenko, L.Shchemelyov, B.Kazakov, V.Krivoblotsky, V.Shkarubo). The emotional-associative themes have been developing in fine arts, where contemporary plastic means of expression have been used (V.Kozhukh, V.Alshevsky, V.Tovstik).
Belarusian artists have been contributing much of their efforts to promoting Belarusian art abroad, to foreign markets. This is evidenced by the wide exhibition geography: France, Italy, Germany, Austria, England, China, the USA and other countries.
The National Fine Arts Museum (www.artmuseum.by)of Belarus has the richest national collection of works of Belarusian, Russian and foreign artists. It has about 24,000 exhibits. When the new building was opened the area of the permanent exposition grew more than four-fold. The museum promotes national arts. Thus, in 2007 it hosted a jubilee exhibition of People’s Artist of Belarus and the USSR Mikhail Savitsky. The exhibition marked his 85th anniversary. The museum also held personal exhibitions of People’s Artist of Belarus Leonid Shchemelev and other Belarusian painters. Belarusian art admirers had also an opportunity to get familiar with works of Belarusian sculptor Sergei Bondarenko and Chinese artist Yan Fei Hong during the Formula of Motion project showcased in the museum. The Captives of Beauty project featured masterpieces of Russian classics of the 19th – early 20th centuries from the funds of the State Tretyakov Gallery of Russia and the National Fine Arts Museum of Belarus.
