the power of culture
"The Power of Culture" is a Dzen's documentary project about how art helped people survive the darkest moments of the Great Patriotic War and became a support and symbol of victory!
fine arts during the Great Patriotic War
In this episode, you'll learn how the Tretyakov Gallery staff organized the emergency evacuation of thousands of works of art in the first days of the war, despite bombing and destruction of the building. You'll hear how unique paintings, including "The Appearance of Christ to the People" and "Ivan the Terrible," were transported under extraordinary circumstances. You'll also learn how the gallery continued to organize exhibitions amidst the ruins and bolstered morale through art. You'll also learn about frontline art, the role of artists on the front lines, and the personal chronicle of war in the graphic works of Alexander Deineka.
cinema during the Great Patriotic War
In this episode, you'll learn how frontline cameramen filmed under fire to capture history, how film studios evacuated, survived, and continued filming in the harshest conditions, and about the heroic deeds of frontline cameramen. This episode is about cinema as living memory and the heroes behind the scenes.
music during the Great Patriotic War
In this episode, you'll learn how music became a frontline and a source of support for millions during the Great Patriotic War. How philharmonic societies continued to perform even under fire, how concerts were held in the metro, hospitals, and on the front lines, and how Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony was performed in besieged Leningrad, becoming an act of musical resistance. You'll learn about the fate of the Moscow Philharmonic and its musicians, who continued to perform and support the soldiers, about songs from the trenches, correspondence from the front, music banned before the war, and educational programs in frontline Moscow. This episode is about how music gave hope and became the voice of resistance.
literature during the Great Patriotic War
In this series, you'll learn how the National Library of Russia survived the Siege of Leningrad and became not only a repository of knowledge but also a true participant in the city's defense. How its staff rescued rare publications, worked without heat or electricity, responded to inquiries from the front, helped build the "Road of Life," and corresponded with soldiers. You'll learn about the Siege Collection—a unique collection of printed materials from the besieged city—and how words and literature sustained life, gave strength, and preserved meaning during the darkest days of the war.
museums during the Great Patriotic War
In this episode, you'll learn how the staff of the State Historical Museum in Moscow saved valuable exhibits from destruction, spent nights in the metro, and worked under constant threat to preserve the memory of the past. You'll also hear the story of how the Peterhof museum staff hid sculptures, survived the Occupation, and became the first to restore the ruined palaces, laying the foundations of the Soviet school of restoration. This episode is about courage, dedication, and how culture became a shield during the difficult war years.
theater during the Great Patriotic War
In this episode, you'll learn how the Bolshoi Theatre, the Moscow Art Theatre, and the Vakhtangov Theatre became not only a place for art but also a stronghold for the entire country during the Great Patriotic War. You'll hear how actors went to the front, performed under fire, in hospitals, and even on empty shell crates. You'll learn how troupes continued to work during evacuation, how new theaters were born in Omsk, Kuibyshev, and Tashkent, and how premieres were staged even amid hunger and cold. This episode is about a theater that performed even when everything around it was crumbling, because art was what they fought for.