Among the many attractions of Sevastopol , one stands out. Panorama of Sevastopol captures the defense of the Russian naval base during the Crimean War of the nineteenth century.
Historical facts
The accession of Crimea to Russia in 1783 was a great achievement of the foreign policy of the Russian Empire. During this period, the so-called eastern question arose on the international arena . This problem was associated with the weakening of the Ottoman Empire, the national liberation struggle of the Balkan peoples and the interest of all European countries in the territory of weakening Turkey. It was the latter fact that determined the discontent of the developed countries of Europe with the strengthening of Russia's positions in the Northern Black Sea Region. Since then, Russia's influence has only grown and by 1854 reached its peak. There was another Russian-Turkish war. The victory of Admiral Nakhimov in the Sinop Bay smashed all the hopes of the Turkish command for success in the hostilities, the Russian victory was approaching. But here in the war came England, France and Piedmont. In September 1854, they landed troops on the Crimean peninsula. In the future, major events are developing around Sevastopol. Almost a year the superior forces of a well-armed allied army could not take a glorious city. It is these events that are devoted to the panorama of Sevastopol.
In memory of the defense of Sevastopol
September 8-9, 1855 Sevastopol was abandoned by Russian troops and occupied by the enemy. But, despite this, the heroism and courage of city defenders played a role in the further conclusion of peace. In Paris, when it was signed, the Russian representative Gorchakov said: "Behind my back was the shadow of Admiral Nakhimov, which prevented the Allies from demanding from Russia large territorial annexations." About this so-called first defense (considering the events of the Great Patriotic War) in the Crimea testify to many memorable places. This is a monument dedicated to the flooded ships, numerous monuments to the soldiers who died on the first and second bastions, on the Malakhov Hill, and, of course, the panorama of the defense of Sevastopol in 1854-1855.
History of creation
Panorama is a kind of visual art that represents a viewer in a wide format with three-dimensional objects in the foreground, thus forming the illusion of real space. By the fiftieth anniversary of the defense of the Russian port, the painter battle Franz Rubo in 1901 received an order for a great job, which was to perpetuate the feat of the military and civilian population of the city in the terrible days of the siege. It was a panorama of the "Defense of Sevastopol," which had to be completed before 1904, as it took time to establish a picture and mount the object environment. Arriving in the city, the painter spent a lot of time and effort on studying the terrain and local history material. Thanks to sketches made in the Crimea, he managed to prepare and present a sketch of the picture in St. Petersburg. Having received the good to carry out the plan, Roubaud goes to Germany, where he has been preparing the canvas for several years in collaboration with other artists.
Museum building
The panorama of Sevastopol required a lot of space, and it was specially prepared. The architects F. Enberg and V. Feldman won the contest of building projects for the future exhibition. It in itself is an art monument, as it is the only panoramic building in the entire post-Soviet space. Round, with a height of 38 meters, the structure is placed on the ground floor, so it looks stretched, does not leave a feeling of unwieldiness. It took 2 years to build it. This is a fairly fast time for Russia. In the vertical protrusions of the wall were thirteen busts of the heroes of the first defense of Sevastopol.
Content of the picture
The panorama of Sevastopol depicts one day from the siege of the city, when the assault of the Ship's side took place by French and British troops. If the spectator was present that day at the top of the Malakhov burial mound, he would be able to observe a picture close to that depicted on the canvas. About four thousand characters are painted by artists, and each one has a tense struggle. The battle revives and transmits passions. Simple sailors and soldiers in the foreground, and headed by their legendary Nakhimov. Not everyone in the content of the picture liked the highest commission for acceptance, who came from St. Petersburg. In a few years the panorama of Sevastopol will undergo changes. They will be made by Roubaud with their own hands, for they were proposed by the emperor himself. So, portraits of sailors in the foreground will be painted over and Nakhimov will disappear. But then, at the opening, in May 1905, the artist was flattered by the comments of war veterans, participants in the defense of the city, who found the image very alive and close to reality.
The Fate of the Panorama
After the October Revolution, the panorama of Sevastopol and the museum were restored and brought to the original view. During the Great Patriotic War, twenty percent of the picture was destroyed in a bombardment fire, the rest was taken to Novosibirsk in 1942. After the war, in Moscow, the canvas was, we can say, recreated. To the original, several episodes were added with the surgeon Pirogov, the sailor Cat. After 49 years, Sevastopol, a panorama (photo, by the way, is presented in the article) whose defense again took its historical place, proudly and with pleasure demonstrates its guests.