Russia-Kultura TV Report: Opening of the "Along the Way" Exhibition

«Along the Way» Exhibition Featuring Works by Nadezhda Krestinina Opens at the Shchusev Museum of Architecture.

The Shchusev State Museum of Architecture has launched its latest exhibition, titled "Along the Way". The display features 50 paintings by artist Nadezhda Krestinina, inspired by the atmosphere of travel and life on the road. The composition is complemented by architectural sketches of railway stations from the museum’s collection.

Russia-Kultura correspondent Anastasia Sopegina, who attended the opening, highlighted the artist’s unique style: «When a glass of tea appears on the table in a platskart (third-class sleeper) carriage, time seems to stand still. You sit there, looking out the window — and no words are needed. Nadezhda Krestinina gazes at her fellow travelers in the same way. But instead of tea, she uses acrylic paints; and instead of words, she speaks through muted Pompeian colors.

The artist shared how her subjects come to life:
«You’re looking, and there’s a cyclist in the vestibule whose face is replaced by that yellow circle placed above the door to prevent people from bumping their heads. And it aligns so perfectly. You think to yourself: how extraordinary.»

According to Anastasia Sopegina, Krestinina does not invent the subjects of her paintings; they occur to her like a flash during her travels. «When the rails end, the movement still continues. You can switch to a boat, for instance. Two oars, water beneath the hull — this is also a path, only it is measured in strokes.»

Exhibition curator Olga Marutyan emphasized the uniqueness of the artist’s vision:
«She sees the same objects as we do, but in a completely different way — in her work, they are three-dimensional, alive, and somewhat abstract. Yet, these are absolutely realistic characters we encounter every day without giving them much thought.»

Anastasia Sopegina describes Nadezhda Krestinina’s style as a soft, contemplative Impressionism: «Her color doesn’t shout — it breathes." Curator Ksenia Lagoiskaya adds: «It is such an incredibly beautiful, sparkling light, which is simply fascinating to observe while noticing different things.»

The subjects of her paintings are more like archetypes: a laundress resembling the letter «P," two cyclists shaped like the letter «H," and nearby — a nearly ethereal elderly woman in a white headscarf and a man by a fountain. Krestinina deliberately leaves the faces undefined so that the characters remain enigmatic.

A special part of the exhibition is dedicated to an analytical excursion into the history of railway architecture. One example is the design for a 100-passenger station on the Moscow-Brest line. Here, the station is presented as a place where time flows differently: where people meet and part, cry and laugh. Whether it be the Baltiysky, Kazansky, or Leningradsky stations — they welcome and bid farewell, while between them lie the rails, destinies, and stops made halfway. And when the train disappears into the night, all that remains is the light in the window and the rhythmic clatter of the wheels.

For more details about the exhibition and to watch the Culture News segment, view the video recording on the website: https://smotrim.ru/video/4014722