Point of view. T
State Research Museum of Architecture named after A.V. Shchusev presents an exhibition dedicated to the work of the architect-restorer Alexei Ivanovich Khamtsov (1914-1994).
A unique in concept and brilliant in execution, a series of views of monasteries and fortresses was created in the 1950s - 1980s by the famous restoration architect Alexey Ivanovich Khamtsov. Among them: Solovetsky Monastery, Pskov-Pechersk Lavra, Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, Nilo-Stolobenskaya Monastery, Moscow monasteries, as well as Novgorod Detinets, Pskov Krom and other ensembles. Khamtsov was not only one of the leading specialists of the Central Scientific and Restoration Design Workshops (TSNRPM), but also an excellent draftsman who masterfully handled both pen and ink and felt-tip pen.
A series of works by Alexey Ivanovich Khamtsov prompted the curators of the exhibition to present the greatness of the ensembles, the beauty of their architectural and landscape complexes through the eyes of people of three historical eras. Firstly, this is the “point of view” of Khamtsov himself, the Soviet architect-restorer; further - ceremonial views in engravings and lithographs of the 19th century, known and loved by everyone as a memory of the best days of these architectural ensembles; and, finally, drone photography taken by the Museum of Architecture photographer Sergei Shandin and other masters, giving a new, incomparable experience of understanding architecture with the help of modern technology as a view from the heights of our days.
In the year of the 110th anniversary of the birth of Alexei Ivanovich Khamtsov, the museum sets itself an important goal - to present him to exhibition visitors in different guises of his professional activity. First of all, as a restorer of architectural monuments, which is the subject of the section on the second floor of the “Ruin” Wing. Returning from the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, where he was awarded medals and orders for military merit, Khamtsov was engaged in the restoration of the Kremlin of ancient Pskov. In the difficult post-war period, he was able to cope with many of the seemingly insoluble problems of this monument, thanks to his sound and benevolent attitude towards the outstanding structure of Russian architecture.
Another section of the exhibition is dedicated to Khamtsov’s restoration of the walls and towers of the Moscow Kremlin, which he began in the late 1940s. The goal of all restoration work of this period was the speedy restoration of architectural monuments of the victorious state. Then, for the first time in restoration practice, the stereophotogrammetry method was used, which made it possible to carry out measurements in an incredibly short time. Khamtsov, as a man of a systematic mindset, rational and pedantic, was irreplaceable in this matter. In the 1970s, a new stage in the restoration of the Kremlin walls and towers began, and through the efforts of Khamtsov, a clear, methodically verified system for maintaining design, working and reporting documentation was developed in the Kremlin. The author’s “point of view” is also shown in this section: here is presented Khamtsov’s graphic series of reconstructions of the walls and towers of the Kremlin for different historical periods, echoing the well-known works created by Apollinary Vasnetsov. Khamtsov creates his own, more rigorous, but no less convincing historical and artistic image of the Moscow Kremlin, his own version of visualizing history.
Alexey Khamtsov also devoted his leisure time to Moscow: in the 1960-1980s, he created many drawings with views of famous Moscow architectural monuments, some of which are shown at the exhibition.
Finally, the exhibition presents the architect’s drawings, made during business trips and personal travels around Russia and various countries, and their geography is very extensive: the Baltic states, European states and even Spitsbergen. He was equally capable of any graphic techniques - pencil, watercolor, crayons. And in the mid-1960s, Khamtsov became one of the pioneers in the development of felt-tip pens as a means of artistic expression.
The last section of the exhibition, located on the third floor of the exhibition space, is dedicated to photographic works performed by the Museum of Architecture photographer Sergei Shandin, a famous master and traveler, winner of all-Russian and international photography competitions. These are views of the same monasteries that Khamtsov captured, but filmed from a drone. Sergei Shandin is reviving the tradition of photo expeditions at the museum to preserve images of monuments of Russian architecture. Drone photography offers a completely unique, incomparable experience of understanding architecture. Sergei Shandin became one of the driving forces behind the exhibition project “Point of View”, showing various architectural monuments from a point inaccessible to the average person - from a bird’s eye view.