Keywords
documentary art photography, siege photography, photo reportage, Sergey Gasilov, Leningrad, siege, Great Patriotic War, genre and thematic analysis, iconographic analysis,
How to Cite
Pomnikova A. Y. Despite the siege: cultural and historical memory in photographs by Sergey Gasilov // The Art of Eurasia, 2025. № 2 (37). P. 156-171. URL: https://doi.org/10.46748/ARTEURAS.2025.02.009.
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Abstract
The article focuses on the creative legacy of photographer Sergey Gavrilovich Gasilov, specifically his work featured in the exhibition “The Fragile Past” at the Primorye State Art Gallery in April 2025, with support from the Ministry of Culture and Archives of Primorsky Krai. Despite the artistic value of Gasilov's photographs, they have not been thoroughly analysed by art historians until now. This article for the first time presents and examines 48 photographs, printed from both glass and film negatives, made by Gasilov during the siege of Leningrad and currently stored in the Scientific Archive of the Russian Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg. The article also provides an overview of the work of Leningrad photographers during the blockade and categorizes their images thematically. Additionally, it summarizes Gasilov's biography. Through genre, thematic and iconographic analysis, it is evident that Gasilov's photographs depict a powerful poetic image of a city shattered but unbending, not broken by war and siege, while also showcasing the resilience of its inhabitants. It is the theme of life that became the leading theme in S.G. Gasilov's photographs. Using certain images as an example, the article demonstrates the means and techniques used to convey the image of besieged Leningrad and its inhabitants; how the introduction of human figures into the images emphasises the leitmotif of life; and how S.G. Gasilov created not just a reportage image, but a visual parable of resistance to war by working with composition, light and symbolic content, transforming documentary footage into a multidimensional artistic statement. His work did more than simply record events; it reflected the strength of spirit and faith in revival of the Leningrad residents. This makes these images an important part of the historical memory.
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