Georgy Bovt Quest “Find Judas” About why the authorities are seriously reacting to ignorant nonsense 02/06/2023, 08:17

A funny (let’s call it that) thing happened recently. The Ministry of Culture sent a letter to the Tretyakov Gallery requesting a report “on the permanent exhibitions in the State Tretyakov Gallery and on bringing the content of the exhibitions in line with moral and moral values”.

The reason for this was the complaint of a certain citizen Sergei Shadrin, received by the department. For some reason, this citizen entered exactly this Tretyakov Gallery instead of a beer bar and stumbled upon a cycle by artist Natalia Nesterova called “The Last Supper”. After that, in a letter to the Ministry of Culture, the consumer of high art services expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that after examining all 13 canvases of the cycle, he came to the conclusion that “it is impossible to understand by content.” Who is Judah?”

Personally, I’m pretty sure that if this is c. Shadrin miraculously ended up in Milan, and there he managed to get a ticket to the Dominican monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie (and oh, how hard), in fact, if the original of the brilliant painting of the same name is located by Leonardo da Vinci, then Jesus Christ He does not even recognize which of his disciples is Judas, sitting at the same table with him.

After all, Leonardo coded it pretty well for those kind of “ball” ones. Outwardly, Judas is practically indistinguishable from other disciples, but no light falls on his face (unlike the others), and therefore appears darker. However, due to the fact that the canvas is not very well preserved, today it can be disassembled only if you know where to look. Additionally, Leonardo’s Judas is practically sitting next to Jesus, not at the opposite end of the table as all artists before him did. The main distinguishing detail is not immediately noticeable: Judas holds a small bag in his hand. A hint of the same 30 pieces of silver? Although it is known that Judas was treasurer at the “school of Jesus” and did some stealing. And according to the Gospel of John, after leaving the meal, he took the money and betrayed his teacher.

So Nesterova, Judas is also mentioned if you bother to look closely. For example, on one of the canvases of the cycle, unlike the other apostles, there is no halo on him and only on him. No halo, Carl!

By the way, even a more or less developed schoolboy will now tell you that “the most important of the arts” is the ability to determine who our Judas is, in the words of the leader of the world proletariat.

And Sharikov, oh sorry, Shadrin was indignant at scenes from paintings of the second half of the 20th century, which he saw enough in the Tretyakov Gallery, showing “a large number of burials, including the presence of marginal social elements.” “drunken alcoholism” and “voluntary comments » images of local rulers and cultural figures. Finally, the Pieta statue, apparently created by Alexander Burganov in 1978 during the years of terry “stagnation”, is missing the head of the Virgin, which our hero considers a “devilish interpretation” It ended up being a religious conspiracy.

In the best traditions of Soviet classical denunciation – such a genre is alive, alive, hands remember something, and hearts burn – citizen Sh., as it was determined, resorts to state policy to “preserve and strengthen traditional Russian spiritual and moral values.” In the decree of the President of the Russian Federation of November 9, 2022 No. 809.

Here, of course, a weak-tempered official should immediately fall on his face and cross three times – “get away from me, stay away from me!” And after getting rid of the initial fear, rush to check if the scum is somewhere in the realm of values. Are there any tendencies towards killing them?

As you know, our Ministry of Culture is not a kind of laundry, and therefore did not send this citizen to a three-letter address (let’s say the court) known to all ordinary Russian people, but took the case to development. In all seriousness. For example, if a signal comes from people, we should listen. All this is entirely in the Soviet spirit.

The Party-cratic officials themselves have created the cult of the “ordinary man of labor”; only by virtue of the true origin of his class, by his delicate class instinct, can he distinguish real art from the bourgeois, or worse still, from the petty-bourgeois. perversions. And then they used this bright image both on the tail and on the mane. Such a “class element” would instantly determine who is Judah and who is an honest and ideological founder of communism. Or state capitalism now.

Here, of course, necessary as a start would be that citizen Sh. “breaks the bases”. Who is he to us, true patriots, all his mismanaged trolls, even behind the scenes a provocateur for the interests of the world. Did you notice anything to be ashamed of? Any leads going to the police? By whom and where he works, or perhaps a simple clerk in a private office – then the brutality of the answer can be reduced. And what if he is not a clerk, but a veteran of some hostilities, or in general, a non-retired FSB colonel, as you know. Then that is a completely different matter.

Although many current employees of the Ministry of Culture, including the Minister himself, hardly remember the most terrible Soviet, the return of all this (as we have seen so far, in the form of nonsense) is glorious in its own way. years in all its glory.

By the way, in those years (in any case, later), a venerable artist could easily fend off the attacks of all the ball carriers with his outfit: they say, it’s none of your business (not really, of course) or you can afford not to pay attention to such attacks from the depths of deep people. could have.

Because, for example, the paintings of the same Nesterova (unfortunately she passed away in August last year) were not taken from the street to the Tretyakov Gallery to warm up. He was a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR, the grandson of the famous Nikolai Nesterov, the Honored Artist of the Russian Federation and the laureate of the State Prize. These were generally left untouched in the late USSR. Not to mention the venerable Alexander Burganov (by the way, on the Old Arbat in Moscow there is a monument to Pushkin and Goncharova next to his work, there is even a whole museum of their work). He is actually a world-renowned artist, each an award-winning academic. Finally, if it melts Sharks’ hearts, he signed an open letter from cultural figures supporting the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Such people in Soviet times could not only embody the Pieta without the head of the Virgin Mary, but also afford many other things, in accordance with the conscience of the party and, of course, the principles of socialist realism.

Other principles are now being suggested, but a true artist is used to the “party line” and knows how to falter with it. Ministry officials, then, should not offend him with their distrust, manifested in the fact of reacting to a slander that should be thrown in the trash immediately.

But no, apparently I want to get ahead of the locomotive every time. Prove your loyalty and diligence. And, apparently, since the criteria are not yet set in mind or are not clear at all, then the great principle “better to overdo it than not to overdo it” comes to the rescue.

Therefore, in the near future, we will see many more “extremists on the field” in their grotesque endeavors, which will not only strengthen the foundations on which the president has written the decree, but will also discredit them and make them a laughing stock. the cynical townspeople who make up the majority among us.

That’s why all sorts of “election commissions” will proliferate to look for questionable books, movies, and individual characters – inside movies. There are too many who want to bring everything to a ridiculous point. And not out of malice, but out of good will. How can these crazy and ignorant enthusiasts be stopped? Well, for starters, first of all, the authorities should develop immunity to whistleblowers like the one above. Otherwise, problem.

Otherwise, from the same Tretyakov Gallery, sooner or later, the super-vigilant “Sharikovs” may demand that Ivanov’s painting “The Public Appearance of Christ” be removed. There are naked men. And two completely naked men! Shown from the front with nude details and in full growth! Is this LGBT propaganda? Isn’t it time to cover the boys?! Does Repin’s painting “Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan” (better known to ordinary people as “Ivan the Terrible kills his son”) strengthen traditional family ties? What about Pukirev’s “Unequal Marriage”? This is complete perversion. And take Bryullov’s painting “Bathsheba”. She’s naked too! none! Next to him is a black boy holding his aunt by the bare knee. He’s clearly not just 18, but even 16.

And finally, it seems, it’s only a matter of time before the next “balls” write a notice that Vasily Vereshchagin’s painting “The Apotheosis of War” is in the Tretyakov Gallery. A potential scammer also probably wouldn’t know that the canvas written in 1871 is actually called “Triumph of Tamerlane” (they were soldiers famous for building pyramids from the skulls of slain enemies). According to one version, the painting is based on a historical plot in which women from Baghdad and Damascus return in debauchery to the great Timur with complaints about their husbands. And he ordered his soldiers to bring each of them the severed head of such a rogue. In total, seven head pyramids were placed.

So, according to this version, which allegedly inspired Vereshchagin, Tamerlane (although she was the only one) was actually driven by the desire to strengthen family ties in the land entrusted to her! He wanted the best! In any case, the artist tries to generalize by writing in the frame: “The past is dedicated to all the great conquerors, present and future.” The picture is clearly waiting for a new reading of him – “Sharikov”.

The author expresses his personal opinion, which may not coincide with the editors’ position.