Animals of the High North in Borisov’s painting

Abstract

The subject matter of the study is images of animals in the works of the Russian artist A.A. Borisov, compared with the written observations of that author. In the field of painting, his landscapes made in the open air at low temperatures, sketches of the life of the Nenets, images of sanctuaries and northern settlements brought from expeditions (1894–1901) gained world recognition. In the context of those works, one can identify a special artistic vision of the animals of the Arctic. It’s the point of view of an academic painter-researcher belonging to the Christian denomination, i.e. an outside observer from a different culture, seeking to give a figurative and understandable language for describing the Russian North. The article analyzes the images and descriptions of a deer, a dog and a polar bear, presented in the artist’s work, and matches them with the folklore tradition of the Nenets. As an interested traveler, A.A. Borisov demonstrates an alternative view, opposite to the popular opinion of his time about the Nenets as a ‘wild’ and ‘stupid’ people. The artist presents his approach to depicting the unique nomadic northern culture. Animals, on the one hand, are verbally described in a utilitarian, beneficial, rational focus, however, on the other hand, the visual material reflects an attentive, sensitive attitude towards them as part of the harsh, mysterious, but in its own way beautiful northern nature, an integral part of Nenets everyday life. Images of animals in the context of the formation of the Russian program for the development of the northern territories at the beginning of the 20^th century, in addition to factual description, serve as marking them as an asset to our world and a visual symbol.