The Russian Art of Building in Wood. Part One: From the Tsars to Dostoevsky
A two-part lecture and conversation series with renowned scholar and photographer William Craft Brumfield
William Craft Brumfield will offer a lavishly illustrated survey of Russia’s centuries-long heritage of wooden architecture, drawing on his new book, From Forest to Steppe: The Russian Art of Building in Wood. This is the result of his decades-long field research, with visual materials including windmills, houses, and churches in the Far North; Buddhist shrines in the Transbaikal region; and 18th-century palaces on the outskirts of Moscow. Brumfield also takes his audience to the houses of many Russian literary giants, from Chekhov and Tolstoy to Dostoevsky and Pushkin. Spanning thousands of sites, five decades of fieldwork, and seven time zones, Brumfield’s photographs offer compelling evidence of the adaptability of log construction and its ability to transcend class, cultural, and aesthetic boundaries.
The first talk, on January 17, will offer a splendid, surprising view of wooden structures in high culture, from palaces built by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and the Sheremetevs to wooden retreats in the provinces, from Pushkin to Dostoevsky and Chekhov. “Whatever the outward appearance, underneath they are all sturdy log walls!”—Dr. Brumfield explains.
Participants will get a unique chance to tune in and ask questions using microphone and camera, not only through chat. Attend the session live to take advantage of this opportunity!
Follow the link to register for the second talk, dedicated to folk culture.
About the Speaker
William Craft Brumfield is Professor of Slavic Studies at Tulane University. Brumfield, who began photographing Russia in 1970, is the foremost authority in the West on Russian architecture. He is the author, editor, and photographer of numerous books, including From Forest to Steppe: The Russian Art of Building in Wood, Journeys through the Russian Empire: The Photographic Legacy of Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky, Architecture at the End of the Earth: Photographing the Russian North and Lost Russia: Photographing the Ruins of Russian Architecture, published by Duke University Press. Brumfield is the recipient of a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship and was a Fellow at the National Humanities Center. In 2002 he was elected to the State Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences, and in 2006 he was elected to the Russian Academy of Fine Arts. He is also the 2014 recipient of the D. S. Likhachev Prize for Outstanding Contributions to the Preservation of the Cultural Heritage of Russia. In 2019 he was awarded the Russian state Order of Friendship medal—the highest decoration of the Russian Federation given to foreign nationals—for his study and promotion of Russia’s cultural legacy. Brumfield’s photographs of Russian architecture have been exhibited at numerous galleries and museums and are part of the Image Collections at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
Connecting with Zoom
This virtual lecture is presented live via Zoom. Registered users will be emailed a link to join this Zoom program. To get started, please download Zoom on your chosen device and explore the Frequently Asked Questions.
This program will be recorded and posted to the museum’s YouTube channel.
Image credit: Galskoi mansion, Cherepovets. Photograph by William Brumfield.