Ukranian Crisis: Threat To Cultural Treasures

Vladimir Zaitsev

The dark silhouettes of the city are engulfed in flames of fire, the clouds of black smoke carried away by the gusts of wind reaching blazing sky. Over this frightening and gloomy landscape is flying the spirit of war – ominous Jinn with a long grey beard who managed again to spark conflict amongst humans. This apocalyptic picture was re-created by Russian artist Nicholas Roerich in one of the variants of his painting ‘The Flying Carpet’ painted during the Second World War. By the will of destiny, the first version of this work from 1916 is now, in the collection of the State Museum and Art Gallery in the city Gorlovka, in South East of Ukraine which till recently was attacked by the government army forces and is demonstrating that disastrous picture of the war which tore apart the once prosperous country. For the last few months, the whole infrastructure of this city including hospitals, schools, kindergartens, shops and factories were exposed to the merciless bombardment of the Kiev Army which used heavy artillery and mortar shells, warplanes and missiles.

My memories bring me back to the late 80s, the culminating period of ‘perestroika’ when people still enjoyed social advantages of socialism and were open to explore ideas of the democratic world – there was tremendous shift in the country … I was going to Gorlovka, quiet and beautiful city in Donbas region famous for its century long mining traditions, full of greenery and flowers. My destination was Gorlovka State Museum which stores one of the finest art collections in South of Ukraine, the gallery halls are decorated with works of famous marine-artist I. Avazovsky, visionary and symbolist M.Vrubel and large collection of paintings by N. Roerich from his Russian Period known till recent times only to a narrow circle of art specialists. At that time, I was curating the show Silver Age of artists from the beginning of the 20th century in the Simferopol Central Exhibition Hall, as a part of the first International project under auspices of the Government of Crimea, association ‘Peace through Culture’ and Frunze State University. In a joint memorandum the Gorlovka Museum and the Department of Culture of Crimea decided to bring the precious collection of Roerich’s works from Donbas to Simferopol for the month long exhibition.