Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov. Portraits of Storytellers (On the Creation of a Database on the Topic “Folklore / Ethnography in the Visual Arts”)
The article considers two portraits of folk storytellers that have not attracted the attention of folklorists until now. The portraits belong to the outstanding artist V. D. Polenov and are titled “Epic Storyteller Nikita Bogdanov” (1876) and “Portrait of Vasily Petrovich Shchegolenok” (1879). The author proposes a project to create a database on the topic “Folklore / Ethnography in the Visual Arts”, which would include works of fine art reflecting rites and rituals, illustrating plots and images of folklore narrative genres, and representing portraits of folklore traditions bearers and collectors of works of oral folk traditions.