The exhibition of the Irbit State Museum of Fine Arts includes an engraving by Mariya Butrova called “Helicopter Landing”.
The artist depicted a helicopter arriving in a remote village inhabited by one of the native peoples of the Russian Far North. This is a harsh winter landscape with sparse vegetation. In the background, there is a herd of deer grazing, a shepherd riding on a sleigh, and a helicopter flying overhead. In the foreground, at the bottom of the composition, there are two people standing near the chum tent with their backs to the viewer and waving, as well as a child running toward the helicopter. Next to them, there is a dog — a faithful guardian and hunter who can endure any climatic conditions, including severe frost. The drawing reflects that this is a truly joyful event. The artwork was made using the etching technique and printed in blue. This color makes the scene feel even colder while also adding a sense of lightness to the image.
In her youth, before the Great Patriotic War, Mariya Nikolayevna Butrova took her first trip to the northern regions of Siberia to collect ethnographic materials and sketches which she would use to prepare textbooks for school in the Far North. During this expedition, she traveled from one camp to another not only by steamboat, motorboat, and seaplane. She also rode horses and deer, crossing taiga thickets and swamps, traveling along swift and rapid rivers on rafts. Only a person of extraordinary courage, passion, and dedication could manage to do this. During that trip, Mariya Butrova fell in love with the harsh, pristine nature of the Russian North — a feeling she would nurture throughout her life and make the main theme of her art. It is not surprising that all her works are so vivid and true to life.
