Expressing classical Russia through Art
By Tibebeselassie Tigabu
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia- old Russia was depicted in an exhibition entitled ‘Traditional Russian Houses’ on March 7, 2010 at Russian Center for Science and Culture to mark international women’s day.

The event was opened in traditional Russian bread cutting ceremony where all the audiences were handed a slice of bread with salt. It was followed by several presentations were held showcasing the story and the ancient days of Russia. The first one was the traditional Russian clothes which are made from traditional Ethiopian material which were hanged on the wall.

The walls were also covered with portraits of pioneers of Russian literature such as Alexander Pushkin the (Ruslan and Ludmila and Eugene Onegin), Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov), Anton Chekhov (The Seagull and The Cherry Orchard), Leo Tolstoy (War and Peace and Anna Karenina).

Interior designs of old Russian houses, that are made of timber as wood was presented as it is an essential part of their daily life. The log houses show the ordinary life of Russian people. A shelf was shown with different kind of dolls put on it. The dolls are painted in different colors and different figures which tell the different mythologies of classic Russia. The dolls show the artists’ creative improvisation, the person's viewpoints, and the freedom to express his ideas in different metaphor.

The influence of Orthodox Christianity is also shown in their arts and in their everyday life where they put icons having the images of Jesus Christ and Saint Marry.  Hand made clothes like scarves and sweaters were also part of the exhibition.

The distinctive paintings also show the centuries old history, lifestyle and landscape of the country. Different writers’ works and their traditional food and drinks were also part of the package in showing the Old Russia.
 
The celebration continued with Ethiopian traditional dancers and Russian songs by the Ethio–Russian community.