The exhibition of the Russian Geographical Society "Bouquet of Peaks: Great Mountains of the World" opened in China on July 18. The exhibition presents paintings by the artist Sergei Dudko, who depicted from nature the 14 highest peaks of the planet as part of the project of the Krasnodar Regional Branch of the RGS. You can see the unique paintings at the Russian Cultural Center in Beijing for two weeks.
The head of the project “Russian Heritage of the Himalayas: Journey Continues”, Chairman of the Krasnodar Regional Branch of the RGS Ivan Chaika, Director of the Russian House in China Tatyana Urzhumtseva, Chinese public and political figures, representatives of the cultural community, members of the Russian Geographical Society, our compatriots, and local residents attended the opening of the exhibition.
“The uniqueness of this collection lies in the fact that all eight-thousanders were painted by one artist. And he did it from nature – at an altitude of more than five thousand meters above sea level. It was hard both physically and in terms of organization: the easel was being blown away by the wind, the oil paints would freeze and they had to be diluted with alcohol and kerosene because of the harsh climate, the paintings took a very long time to dry. For our colleague and friend Sergei Dudko, this was a special project, it became the crowning achievement of his creative life. We plan to publish a book in Russian, Chinese, and English and gift it to all countries where there are great mountains of the world and where we have worked, so that the legacy of the outstanding Russian artist of our time can be seen there,” said Ivan Chaika.
Ivan Chaika introduces the exhibition of Sergei Dudko. Photo: Krasnodar Regional Branch of the RGS/ Russian Cultural Center in Beijing
In total, the gallery of paintings "Bouquet of Peaks: Great Mountains of the World", which includes "portraits" of 14 eight-thousandths of the planet, has about 100 works. More than 40 mountain landscapes by Sergey Dudko, an Honored Artist and traveler of Russia, a member of the RGS and the expert council of the Crystal Compass Award, are presented in Beijing.
The Russian Geographical Society's project "Russian Heritage of the Himalayas: Journey Continues" was launched in 2015. Its main goal is to bring together and promote in modern realities the heritage of Russian travelers, artists, and explorers of the Himalayan mountain system. The project does comprehensive scientific research, collects ethnographic material for museum collections, organizes conferences and meetings at the cultural and scientific centers of Bhutan, Nepal, India, China, and Pakistan.
The exhibition at the Russian House in Beijing aroused great public interest.
“This is not the first time I have visited the Russian Cultural Center, there is often something interesting here. Russian culture is appealing. I find not just art but many other things interesting. These paintings attracted me with an unusual combination of colors, when saturated shades are interspersed with less bright colors and smoothly transition into them," said Lin Zhu, a young visitor.
During the event, the results of a large-scale international RGS project and the development of scientific and cultural cooperation between Russia and China were discussed. Representatives of the Russian Cultural Center, as well as local scientific, educational, and cultural organizations were presented with Professor Yuri Efremov's monograph "Geography of the Himalayas" and Vladimir Nikulin's book "To Nepal and Tibet: Journey Continues” as well as other publications of the Krasnodar Regional Branch of the RGS published as a result of the expeditions of the Russian Geographical Society.
During the visit to China, the participants of the project "Russian Heritage of the Himalayas: Journey Continues" will carry out a number of studies, collect ethnographic material, and prepare photo exhibitions about the Celestial Empire, which will be presented in various cities of Russia. More information about the project can be found on the page of the Krasnodar Regional Branch of the RGS.