Birch in art and design: the country's national symbol discussed at the National Centre RUSSIA
Birch is a living symbol of Russia, which embodies both the diversity and mystery of the Russian soul, as well as the purity and power of nature. White-trunked, tremulous and persistent, it reflects the character of the people — soft but unbending, poetic and deep. A birch grove is an integral part of the Russian landscape, which has been playing a role of a source of inspiration for poets, artists and musicians over the centuries. Experts spoke about this at the session titled "The Birch Grove: The Poetics of the Russian Landscape" hosted by the National Centre RUSSIA. The event was held as part of the "Peoples of Russia and the CIS Countries" festival under the auspices of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.
"The birch tree is truly a national symbol. When you're going somewhere abroad, even for a short period of time, soon you are already home-sick, you want to hug a birch tree, as they say. The birch grove is the poetics of the Russian landscape. The birch tree has its place not only in folk art, speech, and the Russian language, but also in fiction," said Maria Shakhova, moderator of the session, journalist, TV presenter, and author of the "We and They" project.
Alexander Mogulkin, People's Artist of Russia, member of the A.V. Alexandrov Ensemble's orchestra, spoke about the birch tree image used in musical work: "The theme of the Russian landscape is undoubtedly present in almost all songs of our ensemble — it is love for our native land, for nature, for Russia. The Russian landscape, the birch, that's what we have in almost every song. For example, the waltz titled “In the Frontline Forest": “A yellow birch leaf, unheard and weightless, falls down / An ancient waltz, "The autumn dream", is played by accordionist...” These lines are living pictures of our nature."
The soloist of the A.V. Alexandrov Ensemble, Daria Belikova, performed a composition "A Young Birch Tree Grows in Volgograd" to the accompaniment of her colleagues Konstantin Ignatiev (balalaika) and Alexander Mogulkin (bayan).
"This is a song with an incredibly touching story. Its author is the poet Margarita Agashina. She was deeply impressed by the grove of trees she saw at the foot of Mamayev Kurgan. Back in 1965, there was a waste ground there, and people in Volgograd urged everyone who lost loved ones in the war to plant a tree in their memory. It turned out that there was a huge number of people who wanted to do so: a lot of them came, about 200 seedlings and 200 shovels were given out — and this was not enough," said Daria Belikova.
According to the soloist of the ensemble, among those who came to Mamaev Kurgan was a man, a carpenter. He brought four birch saplings with him – in memory of his four brothers killed in the war. But there were so many people around willing to plant a tree that he gave three seedlings to others, keeping only one for himself. This one was planted by him, personally. He also installed a sign with the words: "Planted in memory of the four brothers." Daria Belikova said that these birches keep growing there up to this day.
Birch is a favorable tree to be depicted in painting. That is why it has become a symbol of Russia, said Oleg Molchanov, Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts and member of the Union of Artists of Russia.
"In different countries abroad, the birch tree is depicted in different ways. For example, the German ones are similar to Russian, but they have a different trunk. The Russian birch, due to frost and time, gradually cracks, becomes rough and textured. In other countries, birch trees are smoother, glossy, and have no texture. Many artists have used the image of Russian birches and birch groves, trying to comprehend this symbol. So, this theme, I think, is inexhaustible. Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin, for instance, produced his paintings with incredible precision. His "Birch Grove" conveys the upward orientation of the trunks, the transparency of the wood, and the cheerful character of the trees," Oleg Molchanov noted.
Birch is also actively used in design. This year, the "Russian House" exposition was held, where about 90 brands of Russian creators were represented. The expositions were devoted to historical epochs, achievements, and national symbols of Russia, including the birch tree. Andrei Radayev, member of the Presidium of the Board of the "Opora RUSSIA", organiser of the "Russian House. Creative Regions" display, shared this during the session.
"For example, the stand of Moscow designers was called "You, My Love, My Life," where an analog birch tree drawing was used, shown as a strict pixel pattern. At the "Silk Steel" stand, birch was used not only as a visual element, but also as a material — there was a birch burl featured. The material is very difficult to process, but it has an incredible ivory-like color. Designers from Izhevsk used birch trunks in a non-standard form. They painted them red, which symbolizes the regional flavour of Udmurtia, as well as the changes and energy of modernity. In the capsule “An Upside-Down World", designers used a birch tree from Tyumen felled by the wind, and integrated it into the interior in the form of a minimalistic chest of drawers," he said.
Andrei Radaev noted that the exposition showed that the use of birch in design is not only a tribute to tradition, but also a modern artistic approach that allows people to create unique objects and inspire designers across the country.
The "Peoples of Russia and the CIS Countries" international festival runs from 31 October to 5 November at the National Centre RUSSIA, the World Trade Centre, and the MosKino Film Park. Educational and cultural programmes, expositions and workshops are arranged for the participants. The events are aimed to bring together representatives of government authorities and the expert community.
The festival is organised by the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs (FADN of Russia), in coordination with the Security Council of the Russian Federation, the Presidential Executive Office of Russia, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, with the participation of the Ministry of Culture of Russia, Rossotrudnichestvo, the Government of Moscow, MosKino, Gazprom-Media Holding, RUTUBE, the Russian society Znanie, the Russian Geographical Society, ROSKINO JSC, the Regional Film Support Foundation, and the Internet Development Institute.
Event photobank
A bear is a mirror of Russia and a part of each of us.
The main symbols of Russia give citizens a sense of unity and belonging to Russia's great history.
The Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation visited the National Centre RUSSIA and the festival "Peoples of Russia and the CIS Countries".
