Project: The Vasnetsov's Method: A Life Hack for New «Muscovites», supported by the Moscow Mayor Grant Competition for NGOs, 2018.
Grant competition operator: the Committee for Public Relations and Youth Policy of Moscow.

The Vasnetsov's

Method

About Project

The project was fueled by art, ideas and the personality of Apollinary Mikhailovich Vasnetsov (1865-1933), Russian historical and landscape painter, graphic artist, and stage designer who was the younger brother of the artist Viktor Vasnetov. He lived in Moscow from 1891 to 1933.
He was one of the first painters who found himself in both in History and Historicism, particularly in the reconstructions of the medieval landscape of Moscow. His artworks connected research and fine arts.
The authors of the project found the Vasnetsov's method of learning and creation can be considered аs a 'technology of appropriation' of the rapidly changing Moscow. It is important for new students and professionals from other tows as well for the true Muscotives. This «life saving and success» technology is based on thorough studies of the Moscow's cultural heritage and the Vasnetsov's art as a method to understand and to appropriate the complex urban space.
New version of the Vasnetsov's method links the knowledge of city and its heritage with IT-technologies, mainly visual tools -
3-D historical reconstructions, augmented reality, audioguides etc.

It is hard to imagine, but «the genuine Moscow artist» (as A.Vasnetsov was called) was born hundreds of miles away from the big city, in the Vyatka province. In his wildest dreams the young man could not imagine his future as a famous artist and researcher of Moscow, the first artist - reconstructor of the historical landscapes. Many generations of Muscovites still see the history of Moscow through his eyes.

The historical landscape, created by Apollinary Vasnetsov, is a specific artistic phenomenon within the Russian culture at the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries. It was the time of national revival in arts, search for the national style. Many artists were looking for the images of the Russian history. However, depicting the past centuries, they usually did not rely on any documents or architectural landscape.

By the beginning of the 20th century Apollinary was a recognised member of "Wanderers" also widely known as a the creator of the special genre of historical domestic painting. Being a member of Archeological Society (from 1901) he had great interest in the ancient maps (plans, engravings and maps of the 17th -18th centuries. The engravings by B. Picart (1710), the drawings from Meyerberg's album (1661), plans of Sigizmund (1610) and Boris Godunov, travelers' notebooks, visits to the archaeological sites in Moscow filled his life with new ideas.

In the house 6, Furmanny Lane, where one can still be enchanted by the old Moscow, the artist lived for thirty years. The Apollinary Vasnetsov memorial museum - apartment was opened here in 1965 as one of the so-called small museum of the State Tretyakov Gallery. Each museum space narrates a different story about Apollinary Vasnetsov, his art and his family. The museum collection comprises of the artist's personal belongings, furnishings, paintings and photographs.

His famous historic landscapes - Moscow panoramas of the past centuries - are the results of his complex, painstaking research. The canvases and watercolors by A. Vasnetsov are historically verified, but one could also feel the harsh and dramatic, solemn and majestic, cautiously frozen and noisy spirit of ancient Russian times. Main parts of the famous watercolors on the Moscow history, were commissioned to him by of the Moscow Municipal Museum, nowadays Museum of Moscow. The permanent exhibition includes the following works by A. Vasnetsov - «Moscow City and its Suburbs», «Red Square in the second half of the 17th century», «Seven Corner Tower of the White City», «Defense of Moscow from Khan Tokhtamysh» - watercolors about the history of the Moscow Kremlin, Moscow life, etc. A special genre, created by Vasnetsov, aroused interest to the ancient history not only among the art critics and art historians, but also among archaeologists throughout the 20th century. Historical and archeological researches of the artist were highly appreciated by art critics, historians and archeologists, and in many respects, they have remained relevant till nowadays.

We live in the amazing, constantly changing times, which one could call the economy of emotions. Sadly, many new residents of Moscwo have no feeling or respect to the city. It is remained to them as an eternal stranger. New people have little or no interest in Moscow development, its tidiness, careful attitude towards the Moscow's cultural heritage. They consider the city to be extremely complicated place for survivors, but with better level of living and higher income The urban texture with its entire 870-year historical depth and numerous symbolic and cultural resources is unwanted and uncomprehendible.
At the same time in Moscow there is a very elaborated system of cultural and historical environment, well recognized by the «old residents».
We believe, that Moscow tangible and intangible cultural heritage could become a «key» for many people, who wish not only to «appropriate» it and to feel integrated, but also for intellectual leisure and personal development. In out approach we use the special historical guides, who already did this way like Vladimir Gilyarovsky and Apollinary Vasnetsov. Their success was strongly linked with attentive and meticulous study of Moscow history and culture.
The project consisted of several types of events on history, art and new technologies. There were talks, seminars and creative labs. As a result we did several guided tours and audioguides created in collaboration between experts, students and new professional, who recently moved to Moscow. We call it lifehack for new migrants, and we hope the project will make their life easier and bring more fun.

Lecturer: Philip Smirnov, Moscow historian, philologist, cultural anthropologist, radio host, translator

Lecturer: Dmitry Turusin, head of «Moskvohod» club, author of the educational program «Historical Streets and Areas of Moscow»

Lecturer: Oleg Fochkin, editor-in-chief of «Protected by the State» magazine, author of books on Moscow history

Lecturer: Fedor Dyadichev, traveler, photographer, author of travel guides in Moscow and St. Petersburg, editor of the Poster department of TELENEDELYA magazine

Lecturer: Anna Kachkaeva, Director of the Center for Digital Cultures and Media Literacy, HSE, Professor, Department of Media, Media Expert and Journalist

Lecturer: Olga Pichugina, PhD, researcher, curator and editor of the project «Museum of the Basmanny district / Basmania.ru»

Speakers:
Elizaveta Fokina, director of Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve
Alena Ogneva, radio host, radio Megapolis 89.5 FM, blogger
Andrey Lisitsky, director, F.M. Dostoevsky municipal library, manager of «The Vasnetsov's Method: The Life hack for New Muscovites»