«Kulikovtsi» Are Growing in Number - Gazeta «Slovo»

At the opening of the exhibition «Pages of the History of Russian Statehood. Viсtor Matorin. Historical Painting» on August 13 of this year at the St. Petersburg State Museum-Institute of the Roerich Family, in addition to viewing the historical canvases by the contemporary Russian artist, an informal but highly significant event took place in certain circles.

The author of the poetry collection «Tales of the Kulikovo Field,» a holder of the Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, and poet Andrei Shatskov, presented the artist with the honorary title «Kulikovets.»

What did the title «Kulikovets» mean and where did it come from?

«Kulikovets» is not an official title, but rather a kind of spiritual rank, a sign of recognition within a circle of people for whom the Battle of Kulikovo is not just a date from a textbook, but a key point in the semantic structure of Russian history. It was given to Andrei Shatskov by Savva Yamshchikov, a famous restorer, a protector of monuments, and a man with a very strong sense of historical memory. Yamshchikov often referred to those who continue to guard this memory — through art, words, restoration, and museum work — as «Kulikovets.» For Shatskov, this was not just a nickname, but a great responsibility: he repeatedly said and wrote that he bore this title as a duty to the past.

Why did Shatskov pass it on to Matorin?

Victor Matorin has been consistently working on the theme of the Battle of Kulikovo for many years. He has an entire cycle about Dmitry Donskoy, about the heroes of the battle, and about the spiritual significance of this event. His paintings are not just «historical reconstructions»; they are an attempt to show how the past resonates in the present.

At the exhibition opening on August 13, Andrei Shatskov, understanding this line in Matorin's work, symbolically bestowed upon him the title «Kulikovets.» It was a gesture of continuity: from the keeper of memory (Yamshchikov) — to the poet (Shatskov) — to the painter (Matorin). It was like a relay race: one speaks in words, the other in paint, but both speak of the same thing.

Connection with the trip to his grandfather on August 11

Andrei Shatskov's trip to St. Petersburg to visit his grandfather's grave — the grave of Major General Andrei Shatskov, commander of the Nikopol Guards Rifle Division — adds another, very personal layer to all of this. It turns out that before the public act of bestowing the title, he first visited the grave of a close person, honoured a private, family memory. And only then did he go out to the people and to art — as a person who knows how to connect the personal and the universal. This is very much in line with Shatskov's style: in his poetry and prose, the theme of memory always moves from the particular to the general, from the home to the history of the country.

How this theme sounds in Shatskov's poems

In the cycle related to the theme of memory and military feat, he often returns to the image of the battlefield, to the silence after the battle, to «the debt that never ends.»

In the lines about «his own Kulikovo Field,» he is not just referring to the year 1380, but to the idea that every generation and every person has their own moment of choice and courage.

Folklore intonations, epic rhythms, and vocabulary alluding to military tales — all of this works for Shatskov as a language in which he speaks about national memory.

Roll call with the Matorin exhibition

Matorin and Shatskov have different tools, but the same optics:

Matorin makes faces and events tangible: Dmitry Donskoy is not an abstraction for him, but a living person bearing the weight of responsibility.

Shatskov makes memory tangible: he shows how the past lives on in language, in family history, and in the duty owed to one's ancestors.

It is worth noting the rare, spontaneous symbiosis of historical verses and images that emerged when the poet read out individual stanzas from his «Tales.»

And in the hushed hall, it sounded like:

«...soothe my sorrow, and quench my melancholy.
So that the feather grasses lie in the silver dew,
Under the sweeping stride of a cavalry army.
And while the stirrups are jingling over Russia,
May Russia have but one need:
So that there is enough for all times.
Blessed, free, blue sky!»

A. Shatskov, «The Impending.»

Source: Gazeta «Slovo»