Mikhail Andreyevich Savitsky (, ) (February 18, 1922 – November 8, 2010) was a

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

ian painter. Born in 1922, he served on the Eastern Front in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

from 1941, but was captured and not released until the end of the war. Some of the paintings Savitsky did were the 1967 ''Partisan Madonna'' and the picture cycle "Figures on the Heart." For his artwork, he was awarded the title

Hero of Belarus Hero of Belarus (, Łacinka ''Hieroj Biełarusi''; ) is the highest title that can be bestowed on a citizen of Belarus. The title is awarded to those "who perform great deeds in the name of freedom, independence and prosperity of the Republic of ...

in 2006.

Biography

Mikhail Savitsky was born on February 18, 1922, in the village Zvenyachi,

Orshansky Uyezd Orshansky Uyezd (''Оршанский уезд'') was one of the subdivisions of the Mogilev Governorate of the Russian Empire (from 1919 to 1920 of the Gomel Governorate and from 1920 to 1924 of the Vitebsk Governorate of the Russian SFSR). It wa ...

Vitebsk Governorate Vitebsk Governorate (, ) was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, with the seat of governorship in Vitebsk. It was established in 1802 by splitting Belarusian Governorate and existed until 1924. Today most ...

Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

. When Savitsky was nineteen years old, the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II ...

broke out in Belarus, which is also known to the rest of the world as World War II. The country was reunited and became a battlefield. Mikhail Savitsky joined the Anti-Aircraft Artillery and the 345th Infantry Division. At twenty years old, he fought in the battles of Sevastopol that lasted 250 days. Savitsky was captured by the Nazis and imprisoned in 3 out of the 260 death camps. He was placed in the camps Düsseldorf, Buchenwald, and Dachau. Savitsky was liberated from the Dachau captivity on April 29, 1945, when American troops arrived. In the post-war era, Mikhail Savitsky received an education in arts. In 1951, he graduated from Minsk Art College and went on to study at the Moscow Art Institute of Surikov, graduating in 1957. Savitsky became the head of the national program “Creative academic studios for painting, drawing, and sculpturing” in Minsk. He was USSR's People's Deputy from 1989 to 1991, became a member of the International Slavic Academy, and received the Order of Francis Skaryna in 1997.

Paintings

Many Savitsky's themes are focused around the war, for it constantly plagued his mind. One of his famous paintings, “ Partisan Madonna” (1967), depicts a peasant mother, whom people saw as a Belarusian defense symbol during World War II. Another popular artwork of his is ‘Leaving in the Night’ (1980), which was one of his later works. It depicts a mother and a daughter. The daughter is preparing to join a partisan unit to protect her home country, while her mother, filled with strength, allows her daughter to leave, knowing she could never see her again. The daughter's face is full of fear and sadness, which represented the emotions of the Belarusian people. Belarus was one of the first and most destructive battlegrounds in World War II. The daughter is scared but stays strong; she is determined to fight for her home regardless of her gender and young age. The painting's theme is to show the contrast between Dark and Light, as the struggle between Good and Evil is apparent.

Honours and awards

;Soviet Union *

Order of the Badge of Honour The Order of the Badge of Honour () was a civilian award of the Soviet Union. It was established on 25 November 1935, and was conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding achievements in sports, production, scientific research and socia ...

(1967) *

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour () was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, sports ...

(1972) *

USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize () was one of the Soviet Union’s highest civilian honours, awarded from its establishment in September 1966 until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. It recognised outstanding contributions in the fields of science, mathem ...

(1973) *

People's Artist of the USSR People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the Soviet Union. The term is confusingly used to translate two Russian language titles: Народный арти ...

(1978) *

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

(1982) ;Belarus *

(2006) *

Order of Francysk Skaryna The Order of Francysk Skaryna () is an award of Belarus. It is named after Francysk Skaryna, one of the first book printers in Cyrillic script. Order of Francysk Skaryna is a single level award that was instituted on 13 April 1995; it is awarded ...

(1997)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Savitsky, Mikhail 1922 births 2010 deaths People from Talachyn district People from Orshansky Uyezd Members of the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR (1975–1979) Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR (1980–1985) Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR (1985–1990) Belarusian painters Soviet painters Socialist realist artists Academicians of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Soviet military personnel of World War II National Heroes of Belarus People's Artists of the USSR (visual arts) People's Artists of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (visual arts) Recipients of the USSR State Prize Recipients of the Byelorussian SSR State Prize Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the Order of the Badge of Honour Recipients of the Order of Francysk Skaryna Soviet prisoners of war