Russian artist Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov does not need a special presentation. His landscapes “Moscow Courtyard”, “Golden Autumn” and others are familiar to us from childhood. Their reproductions are made out of classes, textbooks are illustrated. For many, Polenov is a surname in a series of names of "great artists who left their mark ...". And only when you come here to the Polenovo Museum , 120 kilometers from Moscow, you begin to understand the simplicity and grandeur of a Russian, versatile talented, generous and sincere person. His brainchild, the estate of Borok, its museum and collections, its works and ideas are preserved by the descendants and workers of the museum and, as during the life of Vasily Dmitrievich, are open for visiting, acquaintance and surprise.
The first acquaintance of the artist with the surroundings of the village of Bekhovo
Landscape painters restless people. In the late eighties of the XIX century, the already famous, eminent master, along with one of his students, sailed along the Oka.
Without taking their eyes off the landscape, changing before our eyes, the artists saw a traveler walking along the path to the village of Bekhovo. “Here is a happy man, in what blessed places he lives,” said Vasily Dmitrievich to his student. Three and a half years later, the Polenov family moved into a new house, built on the Borok hill near the river, not far from that memorable trail. Today it houses the Polenovo Museum .
Borok Hill
Vasily Dmitrievich, choosing land for construction of a house unsuitable for the local peasants for arable land, acquired a plot on a sandy hill. From it a magnificent view of the river opened, to which a gentle descent led. On the other three sides, Borok hill was surrounded by bushes of trees and bushes. In the distance was a forest.
Manor Borok
The artist dreamed not just about a house for his family. He wanted to create a place where his friends and students would happily come, where he could fit the exhibits of his many collections, collected during his travels around the country and abroad, where, of course, there would be enough space for everyone to work.
The Polenovo estate was created by Vasily Dmitrievich as he saw it in his dreams. Without resorting to the help of architects and designers, he drew everything, planned, equipped only himself. Each building, floor, room, its purpose is the work of Polenov. Outbuildings, fencing of the territory, gates, alleys, flowerbeds are exhibits of the museum, because it was these that the great artist conceived and made them.
Everyone can admire here without exception. Beautiful, unusual, convenient, functional - with these words I want to describe everything I saw in the Polenovo Museum .
Educational work of the Polenovs
While the Kostroma carpenters were building a house on a hill, the artist's family lived in the village of Bekhovo. Against the background of the general poor life of the Polenovs, the poverty of local teachers and the miserable condition of schools struck. The artist’s wife, Natalya Vasilievna, undertook to improve their situation.
She was concerned about the living conditions of teachers, their cultural level: she organized trips for them to theaters and museums. With the help of her husband, she built two schools, which provided facilities for teachers, and a sliding partition between the classes made it possible to arrange a large hall for theatrical productions.
Highly educated family members of the artist helped teach in these schools, considering such an occupation to be absolutely normal and not burdensome. In the museum - the estate of Polenovo on an excursion you will definitely be told about this.
Cultural Activities of the Artist's Family
The Polenovs' love for the theater was also transmitted to local residents. Theater circles began to form in every village. Both adults and children were involved in this life.
The museum of collections created by the artist was visited by all the surrounding residents and visiting guests, for them the estate was always open.
Living modestly, and spending a lot of money on cultural assistance to the people, the family won the deep respect of the neighbors.
Polenov died in 1927 at the 84th year of his life. He, like many family members, was buried in the cemetery of the village of Bekhovo, not far from the Polenovo Museum of the Tula Region . Having chosen this place for their life, they wanted to stay here after death. Wooden crosses and flowers planted on modest graves do not exchange for magnificent tombstones according to their wills.
Museum
The Polenovs' House, which during the life of the artist became a museum accessible to all, never stopped this activity. So the artist dreamed. Thanks to the descendants who headed it for many years, everything that was conceived by the author has been preserved. The memorial situation is the same as it was under Polenov, all rooms bear the names given to them.
Thousands of people enter the house that the artist built for their loved ones, climb the same stairs as Vasily Dmitrievich, to the second floor and see the same Oka with its simple and unusually beautiful views. The feedback they left in the museum - the Polenovo estate speaks of gratitude of the people to the artist and his family for everything they saw and experienced here.
The acquaintance with the house on the ground floor begins, where everything is preserved and arranged, as during the author’s life. The first thing he wanted to tell people who came was the story of his family. This room used to be a “playroom” for children, but after the death of his mother, Polenov collected all the portraits, furniture, letters, and some things in it and arranged a portrait to commemorate her memory. And now there are portraits of relatives and friends of the artist.
In the "Library" (with an emphasis on "o") nothing has changed. And the fireplace in the Polenovo Museum is still the same. She thought and was executed as the most beautiful room in Bork. The artist drew many detailed sketches, according to which the Moscow carpenter masterfully embodied his ideas.
The “Dining Room”, as conceived by Vasily Dmitrievich, is a museum room of folk art and applied art. Not only items purchased from residents and fairs are displayed here. Family members of the artist, gifted people with a sense of beauty, did a lot with their own hands.
On the walls of all rooms hang the work of friends and students of Polenov. There are a lot of them, donated to a dear friend and teacher, in the house of which they all loved to be and work. The author posted his paintings and sketches only in the “Cabinet”. Here he changed the exposure quite often. Homeworkers also called this room "Musical." Pianoforte and harmonium gathered all households, big music lovers, to perform choirs, duets, and trios. Everyone was very musical.
The oak staircase, which has been preserved without restoration to the present day, takes up a lot of visitors every day who want to look at the holy of holies of the house - the workshop of the great Polenov.
The largest and brightest room in the house was intended for the artist. Later, when the Abbey, a separate workshop, was built, the purpose of the room was preserved, but for older children. It began to be called "Worker."
Now one of the graphic versions of the painting “Christ and the Sinner” is stored here, measuring approximately 6x3 meters. The implementation of such a serious and great work required a lot of time and effort. He was actively helped by his wife, who sewed clothes for the characters in the picture. In them sitters posed for the author. To create a planned picture, a canvas was painted from Rome (in Russia such large canvases were not made). Marking it with charcoal, the author was carried away and performed the entire composition. For the picture, which is now in the Russian Museum, I had to repeat the order of the canvas. I don’t want to leave the artist’s workshop for a long time. Sitting on chairs, you can consider the composition closely and in detail. This is a great pleasure.
The last room of the second floor is “Landscape”, where the famous works of the master are collected.
The territory of the estate Polenov
All of the unified buildings that were built, as the family was arranged in Bork, were designed, “planted” in place and executed by Vasily Dmitrievich.
The “Abbey”, built at the beginning of the 20th century, was conceived as a separate workshop for the artist from the house. He thought through and completed all the details, allowing him to work comfortably here at any time of the year. Large windows and rooms made it possible to work on dimensional canvases. Going upstairs, you could see the whole picture. The workshop room easily turned into an auditorium, where many prominent artists performed.
Half-timbered buildings, which were widespread in the Middle Ages, took root, thanks to Polenov, in his estate. All outbuildings are made in this exotic style for us. At the same time, they organically fit into the landscape.
The boat shed, which housed many boats of the whole family, lovers of water walks and sports on the water, was called the "Admiralty." At 76, the artist began working on a diorama. All the surrounding peasants gathered at the shows of his "live" pictures in the Admiralty, friends and acquaintances came. Today, museum visitors can also see them.
A park
Polenov worked on the project of the park, of course, himself. Local residents helped him and his family with tree planting, a club and malls, a breakdown of paths. The artist, a master of landscape, created his creation as if he were painting. Adjusted for her to be attractive from any point of the estate and at any time of the year.
Having heard the guide’s statement that so far each flowerbed or flower bed is decorated in the color scheme in which the author did it, you will definitely return to Polenovo at another time of the year to admire his lively picture.
How to get to the Polenovo Museum?
There may be several options:
- By train "Moscow - Tula" (to the station "Tarusskaya").
- By bus from Veligozh to the stop "Village Strakhovo" (scheduled).
- On foot - 1 km.
- In summer, a motor ship along the Oka to Polenov and vice versa runs from Tarusa.
- From Moscow by car along the Simferopol highway.
Museum address Polenovo : Tula region, Zaoksky district, p / o Strakhovo.