M. Baburin. Celebration of labor. Relief. Fragment, metal, 1969

Monumental sculpture of the USSR

The Great October awakened in every honest artist a thirst for a creative search for new forms to express those historical changes that were taking place before his eyes. Our revolution, - said V.I. Lenin, - freed artists from the yoke of very prosaic conditions of existence. But at the same time, the revolution set before the artists the tasks never seen before of direct participation in the life of society, in the construction of a new life.
According to Lenin, monumental art, like other forms artistic creativity, was intended to captivate wide populace expressive images.

Lenin's plan for monumental propaganda approved the creation of monuments to revolutionaries, fighters for people's happiness, torches of philosophical thought, outstanding scientists and masters of culture, the installation of monumental structures that embodied the ideas of liberated labor, the Soviet Constitution, the union of workers and peasants, proletarian internationalism.
In the harsh conditions of famine and devastation, during the first five years of Soviet power, 183 monuments and projects were created, several dozen memorial plaques with reliefs and inscriptions.
Let's remember the memorial plaque "To those who fell for peace and the brotherhood of peoples" by S. Konenkov, a monument to Karl Marx
A. Matveev, “Freedom” by N. Andreev, monuments-busts to Radishchev D. Sherwood and Lassal E. Sinaisky; of interest are the projects of monuments created by G. Alekseev, T. Zalkalns, S. Aleshin, S. Koltsov, A. Gyurjan and other masters.
The art of sculpture has become part of the general proletarian cause. The opening of each monument turned into an event of political and cultural life countries. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin paid great personal attention to the implementation of the plan of monumental propaganda, he demandingly asked the workers responsible for its implementation, was interested in the needs of sculptors and artists, talked with them, visited exhibitions of competitive projects, spoke at grand openings and bookmarks of monuments.
The basic ideas and principles underlying Lenin's plan for monumental propaganda remain sharp and relevant today.

During the years of Soviet power, the implementation of this plan passed through several clearly distinguishable stages, each of which introduced something unique and new into the development of our country. monumental art.
Monumental art is a chronicle of the life of our peoples, the affirmation of the ideals of communist society. The desire of Soviet artists to always be with the people, to express their thoughts and hopes, to be side by side in the struggle has become one of the sacred traditions of our socialist culture.
In the 1920s, sculpture asserted a new people's power, revealed the lofty meaning of the struggle for socialism. Suffice it to recall the sculptures of I. Shadr "The Sower", "Red Army Man", "Cobblestone - the weapon of the proletariat", "October" by A. Matveev, "Peasant Woman" by V. Mukhina.
Although most of the works of Soviet sculpture of the 1920s had an easel character, the ideas embedded in them, the very figurative structure of things, were monumental in content. The sculptors were looking for new plastic possibilities for expressing the ideas of the time and prepared the rise of the monumental sculpture of the 1930s.

Throughout the 1930s, sculptors created works that embodied the pathos of the first five-year plans. Agitation sculpture participated in the May, October celebrations and other holidays. An interesting undertaking in the promotion of advanced methods of labor and socialist competition was the creation in Central park culture and recreation of Moscow alley of portraits of drummers production.
In the prewar years, a significant contribution to the practice of Soviet sculpture was made by masters who worked not only in Moscow and Leningrad, but also in the fraternal republics: I. Kavaleridze - in Ukraine, 3. Azgur - in Belarus, A. Sargsyan - in Armenia, P. Sabsay - in Azerbaijan, Ya. Nikoladze - in Georgia.
At that time, sculpture, both in easel and in monumental forms, expressed the mighty pace of socialist construction, the joy of a new life. Sculpture has become an integral part of the architecture of the metro, the Moscow-Volga canal, stadiums, parks of culture and recreation, and sanatoriums. She organized the urban environment - streets and squares, boulevards, squares.
The result of monumental searches in sculpture of the 30s was famous band"Worker and Collective Farm Woman"
V. Mukhina, who embodied the ideals of the Soviet people, the country of victorious socialism.
It was a hymn to the new society, born in the fire of the revolution, and at the same time aspiration to the future.
With this sculpture, Soviet fine art entered the world stage and demonstrated to the whole world what power of expression the free art of a free people can achieve.
From the first days of the Great Patriotic War Soviet art stood in the military system, and the sculptors were in the forefront of it. Let's remember just one example.
On August 7, 1941, when the blockade around Leningrad was already shrinking, a creative team of seven sculptors was born: N. Tomsky (leader), M. Baburin, V. Bogolyubov, R. Budilov, V. Isaev, A. Strekavin, B. Shalyutin . Huge, up to 20 sq. m9 reliefs, calling for arms, for defense, were made by these artists. V. Simonov, S. Eskin, L. Hortik, G. Yasko, B. Kaplyansky, S. Koltsov, A. Malahin and others took part in the creation of the monumental propaganda sculpture. For many of them, these works were the last.
The war lasted 1418 days, it claimed 20 million lives. But Soviet people did not flinch - the people of heroes. Today, monuments of military glory and memorials have been created in dozens of our cities, in thousands of villages. They rise in the Moscow region and in Ukraine, in the Caucasus and in the Baltic states, in the Smolensk region and in Belarus. On Belarusian soil alone, we know such memorial complexes as "Khatyn", " Brest Fortress”, “Mound of Glory” near Minsk, “Breakthrough” in the Uchashsky district, “Urochishe Gai” in Baranovichi (sculptor A. Altshuller, architects I. Milovidov, A. Marenich), “Monument to the Soviet Patriot Mother” in Zhodino, a monument to soldiers -liberators, partisans and underground workers in Vitebsk, monuments to K. Zaslonov, N. Gastello, etc.
The epic of the Great Patriotic War continues to excite our hearts. The great date of the 30th anniversary of the Victory over fascism again stirred up memories, made us look back, comprehend and evaluate what was created.
Much has been and is being done. Monuments are erected in honor of fellow countrymen who went to the front, in those villages, kishlaks, auls, cities where battles did not come. These are modest obelisks, and large monumental things, and entire memorial ensembles-Monuments were and are being placed where blood was shed - in places of the most fierce battles, in places of decisive battles, in places of concentration camps. This is the first memorial ensemble in Kaliningrad (sculptor Y. Mikenas, architects Nanuzhyan, Melchakov), the "Green Ring of Glory" near Leningrad, which was completed by the construction of the "Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad", "Salaspils", a monument of military glory in Lvov (sculptors E. Misko , D. Kravic, J. Motyko, A. Pirzhikov, architects M. Vendzelevich, A. Ogranovich), a monument in Krishkalonis (sculptors B. Vishnyauskas, K. Morkūnas, architect V. Gabryūnas).
In the creation of these works, the idea of ​​joint work (that is, synthesis) of artists-sculptors and artists-architects was most fully reflected.
Our monumental art continues to assert the victorious path Soviet army which liberated the peoples during the years of the struggle against fascism, revealing the international character of our policy. This is primarily an ensemble in Treptow Park, a monument to the victims of fascism in Mauthausen (Austria, sculptor V. Tsigal, architect JI. Golubovsky).
The international character of our victory over fascism was also expressed in the monuments erected in the cities of the liberated countries and already created by the artists of these countries. Monuments dedicated to the Soviet Army erected in a number of cities in the countries of the socialist community are perceived as beacons of victory, as the personification of the humanistic ideal.

Images of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War will long serve as a source of inspiration for artists.
Let us be an example of the sculptor N. Andreev, who, like no other, responsibly approached the disclosure of this great image.
One of the main themes of the work of Soviet artists is and will be Leniniana. The long-term experience of sculptors N. Tomsky, V. Pinchuk, M. Baburin, G. Nerody, V. Topuridze, I. Brodsky, G. Iokubonis, N. Petrulis, P. Bondarenko and other masters deserves high praise as a feat in expression folk thought about the leader.
Monuments to Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, erected in the capitals of the countries of the socialist community, have become an event international importance, demonstrating the victorious pace of communist ideas, the indissoluble unity of peoples.
We will not be accurate if we do not say about the monuments to V. I. Lenin by I. Shadr in ZAGES, M. Manizer in Ulyanovsk, S. Evseev, E. Shchuko and V. Kozlov in Leningrad. Monuments that have become classic examples.
And we will not be self-critical if we do not say that we are still in great debt as artists to the party and the people in the realistic disclosure of the image of V. I. Lenin.
We sometimes try too quickly to take up the chisel and clay, while morally we are not ready for the image of the leader.
Let us be an example of the sculptor N. Andreev, who, like no one else, responsibly approached the disclosure of this image, he last years studied the image of V. I. Lenin. He left us a work that we call Andreev's "Leniniana" and from which all generations of artists draw figurative material about Vladimir Ilyich.
The natural course of development of the experience of installing monuments and the continuation of the traditions of the great masters of sculpture were successfully expressed in such works as "Chernyshevsky" and "Mayakovsky" by A. Kibalnikov, "David of Sasunsky" by E. Kochar, "Lesya Ukrainka" by G. Kalchenko, "Nalbandyan" by N Nikoghasyan, “David Guramishvili” by M. Berdzeneshvili, “Monument to the Latvian riflemen” by V. Alberg, “K. Marx" in Karlmarksstadt Kerbel.
There is a theme that usually remains the privilege of exhibitions of easel art. This is a theme about the life and work of our contemporaries, workers, collective farmers, scientists and cultural figures. We need to make this topic the leading one in monumental art, we must reveal the scale of the human personality of our contemporary, creator and builder.
Everything that creates the Soviet man - new cities, power plants, spaceships, everything that he lives by, that makes up his thoughts and thoughts - all this should also become the program of our art.
We are faced with the great task of transforming this gigantic thematic wealth into aesthetic wealth.
In the conditions of a developed socialist society, the problem of creating an aesthetic environment surrounding Soviet man.
The biggest tasks can be solved here by monumental and monumental-decorative art. This is a powerful means of shaping the spiritual climate of socialist towns and villages, a weapon of monumental propaganda, and not just a way of organizing the material-spatial environment. The works of these types of art embody high social ideals that educate millions of people, imprint the images of heroes and events that the people's memory forever preserves.
In recent years, the need for monumental art has been growing. One of the decisive reasons for this phenomenon is the gigantic scope of urban planning. The floors of towns and cities are growing along the BAM line, new giants of industry are appearing, districts in already established cities are being reconstructed and enlarged, and everywhere wide prospects are opening up before us.
The motto of our society - "Everything for a man, everything in the name of a man" - is constant. But the possibilities for its implementation are expanding all the time. If in the 1950s the concern of architects for the life of a Soviet person resulted (most often) in solving the housing problem, today we - artists and architects - are focusing our attention on the purpose and place of plastic arts in the formation environment as arenas of social life. Therefore, we cannot but be concerned about the appearance of a playground, the appearance of a city park, the appearance of an industrial enterprise.
Take, for example, a factory. Here, compositions dedicated to the labor collective, commemorative plaques in honor of the Stakhanovites, first builders, shock workers of communist labor are possible. The factory territories are being landscaped, and why not place a landscape gardening sculpture on them? Works of small forms should find a place in the rooms of the party committee, local committee, Komsomol organization, in the factory management, shop red corners, dispensaries, canteens, etc.
The tasks of monumental art are the same in their significance for both the city and the countryside. This should be remembered and more attention should be paid to the development artistic sculpture on collective farms and state farms.

important political and artistic value has the installation in cities and villages of busts twice Heroes of Socialist Labor. They need to reveal the image of a new person, for whom socially useful work has become a source of inspiration, joy, a powerful means of revealing the spiritual potential of the individual.
Not a protocol certificate of the appearance of a person who has earned the honor and respect of fellow citizens, hopes to find an audience in them, but real art, actively participating in shaping the worldview of a Soviet person, his moral convictions, and spiritual culture. These works should affirm communist ideals, showing their vitality and nationality.
Art plays an active role in the upbringing of the younger generation. The life of our children is now taking place in the wide school yards, in the green expanses of new microdistricts. There is a lot of air, sun, but little art. And it is necessary!
We would like to emphasize that it is necessary to revive and strengthen the close creative community of artists-architects with artists - sculptors and painters. On our shoulders lies a common duty - to create such an environment for a person that he would love, to which he would be attached. This task should not be divided. A sculptor or painter cannot act as a "decorator" after everything is done.
What are the possible principles of the commonwealth of arts today? What, relatively speaking, is the predisposition of architecture to actively interact with the world of plastic arts? Or will architecture speak its own language, as if not in need of the participation of other arts? The question of the synthesis of the arts is an urgent question. For sculpture organic bond with life goes through synthesis with architecture and urban planning.
Architecture, of course, retains its position as the dominant art form. An architectural image in itself must have a tremendous power of ideological and aesthetic impact, an extraordinary ability to excite a person and shape his mood. The architectural image of a building or ensemble should tell about the worldview of our society, about our life, about our aesthetic tastes no less than, for example, a picture.
The greeting of the Central Committee of the CPSU to the VI Congress of Architects of the USSR said: Further development Soviet architecture requires an increase in the role of architectural and construction science, a broad generalization of advanced construction experience, and creative application of the method in the work of architects. socialist realism. Soviet architects are called upon to create such works of architecture that would help instill in our people high ideological and moral qualities, a feeling of love for the socialist Motherland, and enrich their spiritual world.
The modern development of architecture as an art, more than ever, needs a realistic visual art - an art that is designed to saturate and enrich the figurative structure. architectural structure, make him emotionally richer.
We now need to determine the real ways in which both architects and artists would like to meet each other in order to get rid of the inexpressiveness and facelessness of our individual structures by joint efforts. The synthesis of the arts provides us with new opportunities in this, and we must use them to the fullest extent.
We must work hand in hand, fully understanding EACH OTHER.
We need unified long-term architectural and artistic plans at all levels - state, republican, city, so that we clearly know what and where we have to do, so that we work rhythmically, thoughtfully, without unnecessary haste. After all, each of us knows that if you do a thing quickly, but badly, then everyone will forget what you did quickly, and they will only remember what you did badly. And, on the contrary, what you did slowly will be forgotten, and what you did well will be remembered.
We, sculptors and architects, creating an architectural and artistic synthesis, create, in essence, the new kind art, where it is important not just the participation of one of the parties in the activities of the other, but full-fledged co-creation. The work of a sculptor and architect on a future monumental structure should begin from the very beginning of its design. Commonwealth is a mandatory feature that can ensure the unity of the idea, the unity of execution, the unity and integrity of the result.
In the art of sculpture, more than in any other genre, purely professional concerns are directly related to the public interest.
Our professional concerns translate into concerns about the quality of our sculpture, about the ideological and artistic quality. The problem of quality is the task of the jubilee five-year plan of our state, and we, Soviet artists, are also called upon to solve it.
It is the high demands on our work that prompts us to set ourselves and the corresponding government organizations those issues that need to be addressed radically and in the very near future.
In the work of a sculptor, the choice of material is important, in which the plastic image is conceived and embodied.
The choice of material is not just a search for what is now convenient and handy to use or easier to get. The easiest way to get concrete. But concrete sculptures, which are often made by non-specialists, sometimes discredit the idea they are meant to express.
These "concrete works" are very expensive for the state, and do not last long. Concrete is more of an architectural material. Concrete requires skillful handling and consideration of its specifics. They cannot replace other materials. It is not plastic and therefore cannot always serve as an expression of a figurative beginning. In plastic art, it leads to standardization, industrialization, depersonalization of the artist's creative style.
The use of any material - granite, bronze, marble, ceramics, steel - should always be justified - but the rhythmic structure of the work, the interpretation of the form and the measure of generalization, the practical purpose of the thing, and, finally, most importantly, the ideological and social essence of sculpture.
Unfortunately, our options with respect to choice required material are extremely limited, although almost all of our republics are rich in remarkable deposits of materials. We draw the attention of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR, the Ministry of Geology of the USSR to the fact that we need materials, that we have a careless, even pernicious attitude towards quarrying. We need prospecting parties to discover new deposits, we need a different technology for the development of valuable rocks of granite and marble. All this is our common goal.
The problem of material is closely related to the problem of color, which is often overlooked in the mass construction of cities and villages. I am deeply convinced that the artist, taking care of the artistic appearance of the city and the village, should diversify its monotonous white-gray scale with color chords.
Each shape is colored in one way or another. Nature itself takes care of this, painting stone, metal, wood in a variety of colors. Ancient Egyptian masters painted their statues. The sculpture of the Greeks was polychrome. Renaissance sculptors created wonderful works in which color played the most active role.
It is necessary to boldly transfer the experience accumulated over the centuries into monumental forms, into sculpture, into works that will be perceived against the backdrop of greenery, the sea, and the sky.
Color in sculpture, and especially in monumental sculpture, is a new problem for us. Therefore, searches are needed here, experimental work, which will undoubtedly give positive results.
A few words about our production activities and capabilities. To put it bluntly, the material and technical base cannot satisfy us even today.
We have: a bronze foundry named after E. F. Belashova in Mytishchi (Moscow) and the oldest factory named after M. G. Manizer "Monument-Sculpture" in Leningrad. Despite the fact that they fulfill a lot of orders and seem to cope with them, they need a major retooling, a scientific change in the technological process.
We are losing the uniqueness of the technical implementation itself. We need everything that the sculptor performed to be conveyed with the utmost accuracy in the finished thing, so that the sculptor is given the opportunity to improve his work.
It is necessary for our branches of the Art Fund to create their own network of vocational education for craftsmen: shapers, casters, carvers, stonemasons, etc. Old, experienced workers with a high level of craft and artistic taste are leaving. Our concern is to find an opportunity to train new young people who are equally in love with this great craft.
In the historic building of the Academy of Arts, four words are written in the round courtyard: “Education. Architecture. Painting. Sculpture".
These four words are the foundation of our education. As they are related in meaning, so will the results.
Of course, we can and should talk about our needs, materials, production base, vocational education. But all this will make sense only when we turn to ourselves, to our creativity, to our conscience with the main demands.
There are certain truths, concepts, phenomena and ideas-time. But they are only then embodied in artistic image when they pass through the prism of the personal "I" of the artist.
We need each work to be experienced, so that each thought that has matured in the soul of the artist shone with the power of his personal conviction. Art is not made only out of a sense of duty. It arises from the inner need of the artist, his love for his work. Without this, it cannot infect and convince with its truthfulness.
We must tirelessly develop a healthy critical attitude towards our own work and towards the work of our colleagues, and in this we have the right to expect help from our art historians. We must discard biased judgments, deliberate assessments, unbridled praise and peremptoryness, we must soberly weigh our achievements and failures, successes and shortcomings, discoveries and mistakes in a worker's way.
We need art that deepens our relationship to life, that helps transform knowledge
about life in belief.
It is impossible to love and study life without love for nature, without studying it.
Everyone who has had a chance in life to perform work related to a huge topic, dedicated to significant content, should consider this a joy, happiness. He must do this thing as if this was his first and last work.
This means that the artist is obliged to study in order to perform this work at the highest level and as a testament. An artist must be a citizen, a patriot. He must be an erudite, life-sensing person. He is obliged to improve his skills daily.
Mutually enriching, the monumental art of the Soviet republics retains its originality and uniqueness. We see it in the best works our sculptors: Tomsky, Borodai, Bembel, Zeynalov, Alberg, Iokubonis, Sadykov, Amashukeli, Dosmagambetov, Arutyunyan, Dubinovsky, Murdmaa, Shvazhas, Toleikis, Lukoshavicius. Young sculptors have grown up in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, and today they are actively involved in this work. I cannot name all the artists, but their talent serves a great and important state cause.
Real realistic art is always international in its essence and content; it carries within itself socialist humanism, the thoughts of a person, his aspirations, affirms his exploits and accomplishments. In their works, the sculptors of our country affirm communist ideals, high human qualities of heroes, fighters for freedom, for the happiness of the people.
The broad, growing development of monumental art puts forward a number of creative and organizational problems, some of which require the closest attention.
Of course, the question of the quality of monuments and monuments is primarily addressed to ourselves - the artists - and to our creative Union. We have already talked about this.
In their searches, sculptors rely on the traditions of world and Russian sculpture. Over the past years, we have formed our own Soviet traditions in the field of monumental sculpture, laid down by the Leninist plan of monumental propaganda. One of the main principles of our sculpture is its scale with a person.
And it is very sad when an artist tries to achieve monumentality by exorbitant enlargement of the image, by piling up forms devoid of depth and accuracy of figurative thought. Monuments can be large if it is justified by the theme, idea and location. Unjustified megalomania suppresses the viewer, leads to a violation of tradition, deprives the work of meaning, spatial and functional purpose.
We are disturbed by the sometimes hasty and numerous erection of monuments in our towns and villages. Comparing the works of artists who often live in different cities, you notice stereotyped solutions: equally uplifted or outstretched hands, as if stamped figures of mothers seeing off sons, swords symbolizing courage and invincibility. When such compositions become widespread, the viewer's gaze habitually begins to slide over them without receiving an emotional and ideological charge.
Standard thinking reduces the impact of a monument intended for long-term existence. Here we must talk about the great responsibility of the sculptor and architect for their work. Our works are created for a long time, you can’t take them off like a picture from an exhibition, and you can’t put them in a storeroom.
High ideological and artistic quality and realistic skill - this is the criterion of our creative activity.
We need long-term plans, we need to know now what monuments will be erected in five to ten years, so that work on them can begin today and by memorable date mature, ideologically deep and plastically perfect things would appear.
We are concerned that enormous resources are allocated for the creation of monuments. short time, but serious work on a work of monumental art lasts for years.
The author of a monumental work must have sufficient time for doubt, reflection, study of the material, for the development of creative convictions. Everyone knows that only conviction can produce a fruitful result.
We are also disturbed by the fact that competitions announced by the USSR Ministry of Culture drag on for an infinitely long time, the tour is replaced by a tour, and the case often remains unfinished.
Note that there are few competitions at all. In Azerbaijan in the last decade there was only one major competition, for a monument to 26 Baku commissars, in Turkmenistan there were two competitions during the same time. All-Union - for the monument to Mathumkuli and republican - for the monument to the poet Kemine.
Competitions are meant to play important role in the development of our creative thought. The projects presented at them are of interest not only to applicants and members of the jury, but also to the entire artistic community, because new plastic ideas arise and are compared in the creative competition. It is useful to publish collections of documents for major competitions, because material valuable for creative practice goes to the archive without becoming the subject of wide public understanding and scientific generalization. It is necessary to comprehensively and thoroughly discuss even erroneous projects, because such a discussion among professionals helps to clarify the truth both for the author himself and his colleagues.
It is necessary that the jury fulfill its obligations to the authors, inform the public
about your work.

The Union of Artists of the USSR, for its part, must increase its influence on the entire process of the appearance of a monument from the approved sketch to the execution in the material and installation.
It would be right to announce competitions for the plastic idea of ​​the monument, for the choice of a place for its placement, for the nature of its execution. Young sculptors should be more actively involved in such competitions, for whom participation in such competitions will serve as a real creative school.
All of us, artists, perceive the task of transforming our capital into an exemplary communist city as our own.
Here the task of architects, planners, sculptors is enormous. It is important that the character, charm and beauty, the specificity of the Moscow landscape be preserved and receive a poetic sound.
Our joint work is essential. Synthesis should develop taking into account the values ​​already found, included in the very concept of " national culture". Haste cannot be tolerated. We must treat every corner of Moscow with great care.
Beautiful architecture and sculpture, gardens and parks should give the city of communism a unique character. This city is our home. And everything should be close and dear to us in it.
Monumental art has a wide variety of forms of entry into the modern life of our society, the creative work of the artist is designed to spiritualize the life and life of Soviet people. Therefore, the responsibility of the artist to the people is great, which expects from us the art of deep thought, emotional intensity, high spiritual pathos.
The responsibility of the artist to the people for his work requires us to aesthetic knowledge of modernity and self-education.
The artist learns from life and educates himself as a creative person. Without personality, there is no art. Only the high culture of the creator himself can contribute to the creation of new monumental works.
The creation of an artistically organized environment, which V. I. Lenin dreamed of, means the joint work of figures of all kinds visual arts and architecture.
The role of the artist as an assistant to the party in the communist education of the people is enormous. We are called to this, we are obliged to do this by the decisions of the 25th Congress of the CPSU.

There is a wonderful place in Moscow - the Muzeon art park. A park where sculptures live. It is located on the banks of the Moskva River along the Krymskaya embankment near the Central House of Artists. To get to the park, you need to drive to the Oktyabrskaya metro station and walk a little towards the Moskva River.

Previously, the territory of the park was fenced and access to part of the park was made by tickets. Now the tickets have been canceled and the fence between the park and the Crimean embankment has been removed. And in general, the park was landscaped and made an even more pleasant place for a walk than it was before.

The park was founded in 1992, when the corresponding order of the Moscow government was issued.

However, the first Sculpture Exhibitions were held at this place earlier, in 1983 and 1991.

In 1991, after the August coup, the dismantled monuments to Soviet leaders were brought here to the park. These monuments and exhibitions of sculpture gave impetus to the creation of the sculpture park.

After the improvement of the park, many sculptures changed their location. Some new ones have appeared.

And some were collected in single groups. For example, this monk used to stand apart from everyone else, and now he is in a group of stylistically similar ...

There he is, nestled on the left ....

Now Soviet sculptures make up the historical part of the park, and sculptures by contemporary authors are located around them.

Almost opposite the entrance to the branch contemporary art The Tretyakov Gallery houses the strangest series of sculptures.

Made from huge metal pieces welded together, these works by the sculptor Grigoriev look very unusual.

It seems to me that they would perfectly complement the landscapes of the planets from the film Kin-Dza-Dza ...

Another oddity of this part of the park is the huge Möbius strip.

The sculpture depicting the Motherland is also quite original - with a machine gun and a hammer and sickle in his hands.

A sculptural group about the friendship of peoples, which used to stand as a separate work...

Combined in the composition "We demand peace" and moved closer to the building of the Central House of Artists.

In 2009, there was also a "sports" corner, but in 2015 it was no longer in its original place. Probably the sculptures were also moved.

And the goalkeeper most likely simply could not stand the test of time.

But it is the historical part that leaves the greatest impression.

It is here that the monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky, the sculptor Vuchetich, stands.

Previously, this monument stood on the Lubyanka.

The demolition of this monument became a symbol of the events of 1991.

Traces of those events and later statements about this controversial person remained on the pedestal.

A stern monument to Ya.M. Sverdlov sculptor Ambartsumyan.

Kalinin in metal is not as severe as the metal Sverdlov and is somewhat reminiscent of Chekhov.

A composition dedicated to the victims of repressions was created around the monument to Stalin, the work of the sculptor S.D. Merkurov.

The composition dedicated to the Stalinist repressions was donated to the park by the sculptor E.I. Chubarov in 1998.

But the path of tiles in front of the monument disappeared. Now the leader has a lawn.

Previously, figures made of wood stood near the composition.

But years of being on the street destroy wooden sculptures.

Now they are not in their original place.

Most of all in the historical part of the Lenin Sculpture Park.

Now a wooden road has been laid between them, and earlier it was possible to approach the monuments only along the lawn. True, no one forbade it.

Brezhnev also got into this meeting.

In front of the huge fir trees is a monument to the "singer of the revolution", Maxim Gorky, who previously stood at the Belorussky railway station.

A park. There are monuments to the leaders. Children play around, people walk around, sometimes beautiful music plays. Isn't that what they dreamed of when they tried to build new country? It really didn't work out that way...

An amusing combination of the Soviet part of the park of arts and the monument to Peter I by Tseretelli, standing on the river outside the Muzeon, comes out.

The rest of the park is occupied by works of contemporary art. Some are classical.

Some are very original.

There are also beautiful girls walking naked in the park.

And more dressed up girls doing the arts

And symbols of girls.

There are women who have already taken a walk.

Of course, there are sculptures dedicated to the memory of the Great Patriotic War.

The park also has its own Pushkin - how could it be without him?

As I wrote above, there were so many sculptures in the park that a special platform was made, where some of the works of art were placed very compactly.

Happier sculptures got comfortable places in the shade of trees.

Children really like this grandfather Mazay with a scene from the Titanic.

For local residents, the park also serves as an outlet - where they can somehow communicate with nature in the city center.

In the corner of the park is the territory of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

The bell tower of the church seems very low compared to the adjacent giant of the President Hotel.

One cannot ignore the monument to Peter I. Although it is not included in the park of arts, it stands quite close to it.

It used to be separated from the park by a river, a roadway, and a fence. Now the fence has been removed and the embankment has been made pedestrian. So Peter got closer.

And therefore Tseretelevsky Peter looks like another exhibit of an open-air museum.

Now the Crimean embankment, boring and concrete, has become green and conducive to walking.

Yes, now it is more convenient to come closer to the pedestal of Peter and see what the fountains are beating down there. And to "at hand."

The truth is even closer, it is still impossible to get to the very foot of the monument.

Near the monument to Peter Historical building Yacht Club and further the embankment leads towards the Patriarch's Bridge, along which you can walk to the Kropotkinskaya metro station.

You can also get from Muzeon to Oktyabrskaya or Park Kultury metro stations. You can walk to the Park Kultury station along the Crimean bridge.

From the Crimean mot you can look at the chaos of Moscow buildings (buildings of various eras are visible here) and admire the expanses of the Moscow River.

The site project continues the cycle of walks around Moscow. Today we will go to the Muzeon Arts Park.

Our walk starts from the station. It is best to exit from the radial branch (of course, you can also exit from the ring, but then we will have to cross the Garden Ring). Leaving the subway, we find ourselves on.

And on the opposite side of the street, a little to the right, we see.

We are turning the other way. After walking just a few steps, another church will open to our eyes,

The temple has stood here since 1694. However, during the years of Soviet power, it was first closed (1927), and then demolished (1972). Restored in 2000. The new building of the church was consecrated in honor of the memory of the fallen defenders of law and order.

Directly next to the church we see an underground passage. We're heading there.

Once on the other side of the street, we go straight to the nearest intersection. On the opposite side of Kaluga Square, we see its dominant - monumental.

The view, unfortunately, is hindered by numerous wires and road signs. However, Kaluga Square is not included in our today's itinerary. We turn right and follow Krymsky Val Street.

Soon, by right hand from us will appear a four-story building, made in red and white colors. This is the Moscow Academic Art Lyceum. At the entrance to it is installed.

Soon, on the other side of the street, we will see the main gate of Gorky Park.

And right in front of us is a high stele with the inscription "MUZEON", marking the entrance to.

From the main entrance offers a magnificent view of.

To the right and left of the entrance to the park are installed, which make up a single ensemble. It has no name, but on the shield of one of the men on the first composition there is an inscription "Peace to the earth". This name may well suit the whole ensemble, as here both a woman with a loaf of bread in her hands and a man with a machine gun, designed to protect this world, are successfully combined.

On the first sculpture (to the right of the entrance) we see three women in peasant clothes and the already mentioned man with a shield and a machine gun.

On the other (to the left of the entrance) there are three men and two women dressed as workers, above whom the coat of arms of the RSFSR rises.

We go to the park. Before us begins the central alley. To her left is a monumental building, . Before proceeding along the main alley, first turn left, along a small path leading to the Central House of Artists.

The first sculpture that meets us in the park is A.S. Pushkin. A very small, one might even say miniature sculpture, much shorter than human height, and no identifying marks. The poet is betrayed only by an obvious portrait resemblance.

Nearby, on the other side of the path - a fountain, also made in the Pushkin style. It is decorated with a stone cylinder and a cloak.

The second shows two people in top hats.

At the left wing of the Central House of Artists there is a sculpture: a man and a woman raise up a banner and flowers.

Despite the fact that the sculpture is very monumental (unlike, for example, the previous two), neither the name nor the author is indicated on it. Looking ahead, let's say that this is not uncommon for the Park of Arts. In some sculptures we will see a portrait resemblance to those to whom they are dedicated, in some we will catch the plot. And some, frankly, will leave only bewilderment after watching them.

However, let's continue walking. From the left wing of the Central House of Artists, a magnificent view of the monument opens, it is also a monument to Peter I, located on the spit of Bolotny Island.

This monumental work by Zurab Tsereteli, 98 meters high, is the second highest monument in the capital. The first place is confidently held by the Victory Monument at (141.8m).

Let's go back to the main entrance and go down the alley that goes to the left.

Another unnamed sculpture. A figurine of a baby, an old man leaning over it, and three standing figures. Think of the plot yourself.

But this sculpture, depicting a man in a hat, has both a name and an author. It was made by Fahraddin Rzayev in 2000 and is called "Caucasus".

Of course, this is not a school, in the direct sense of the word, however, there is a certain connection. This is a pavilion for lectures and open discussions on various topics: art, education, coexistence in a single space, etc. Anyone can become a participant in the events held at the "School". The entrance is free. Why "School"? Yes, because here they teach to love art, sometimes so different, contradictory, but nevertheless eternal.

There are several attractions around the pavilion. Let's go around it.

At the sight of this object, the first feeling that most people walking in the park will experience is bewilderment. Shower outside? Without any barriers?

However, the information board located nearby will quickly dispel this bewilderment. This is a light shower. Instead of water, rays of light should pour from the sprayer. this work(author Maria Zaikina) - winner of the competition "Art moves to the city" - 2013.

Nearby is a nameless horseman.

If we go a little further away from the clearing, we will see a figure depicting the Motherland. In one hand, a machine gun, in the other a hammer and sickle. Wave is typical of the Soviet idea of ​​the Motherland.

To the left are several allegorical sculptures, of which only a wooden sculpture of a football goalkeeper can be distinguished.

Let's turn left and go out to the central alley, right at the god's facade of the House of Artists. The inscription on the wall informs us that a significant part of the Central House of Artists is occupied by the exhibition "The Art of the 20th Century".

At the entrance to the building there is a small copy famous sculpture E.V. Vuchetich "Let's beat swords into plowshares". The original monument is located in New York near the building of the UN headquarters. A man bending a sword with a blacksmith's hammer symbolizes the call to peace. ("Oralo" is the old Russian name for a plow).

On the other side of the alley there is a sculpture "Guard", made in 1933. Its author, Leonid Sherwood, became one of the first sculptors who began to implement Lenin's plan for monumental propaganda.

Let's walk to the left of the building of the House of Artists.

Here we see another smaller copy of the monument, known throughout the country. The sculpture called "Stand to the end" is included in the memorial complex Mamaev Kurgan In Volgograd.

A Soviet soldier with orders on his tunic on a tunic and with a hawk on his arm is not a symbolic monument. This is Stepan Pavlovich Suprun - an outstanding Soviet test pilot, twice Hero of the Soviet Union (the second time he was awarded posthumously).

Although here, and at the previous monument, there are, unfortunately, no explanatory inscriptions.

A small monument to Alexander Tvardovsky, the author of the poem "Vasily Terkin" and many other works. Author Tatyana Kamenkova, 1987. In the background is Lyudmila Kremneva's composition Song of Peace, made in the same year, and a bust of an unnamed Soviet soldier.

This work is copyrighted creative team under the guidance of the famous sculptor Vera Mukhina. The monument was cast in 1950, the impetus for its creation was the outbreak of the war in Korea. The theme of the sculpture is intended to draw attention to the need for peace on a planet that has recently survived the Second World War.

Another small sculpture on the theme of the Great Patriotic War: fighters (or maybe partisans) while away the time in a dugout.

We go to the central alley. Behind the building of the Central House of Artists there is a whole gallery of white figures lined up in rows. At first glance, it’s even roughly difficult to say how many of them are here (actually, just over 80).

This is the Hall of White Stone Sculpture, which appeared here after a large-scale re-exposition that took place in the Museon in 2012. Here are collected sculptures created in the period from 2000 to 2011 and exhibited at various exhibitions and symposiums. Among them there are both works famous sculptors, and students, and even amateurs who do not even have a basic professional education.

The description of all the sculptures will take too much time (and tire the reader), if you wish, you can see them yourself during the walk. We list only some of them, the most interesting.

Patriarch Tikhon. One of the most revered priests of our country.

Basil the Blessed. The one whose name is often called the Church of the Intercession on Red Square. The one who, according to legend, was afraid of Ivan the Terrible himself.

There are two sculptures of A.S. Pushkin here at once. On one he rides in a carriage.

On the other, he simply stands in his characteristic clothes, a cloak and a top hat.

Composition based on the fable "Wolf in sheep's clothing".

Now let's pay attention to the left side of the alley. Sculptures on a variety of topics are arranged here in a chaotic manner.

Three sailors, one of which sits on the shoulders of the other, and one person is depicted for some reason in a horizontal form. What the author wanted to say, one can only guess.

Kind of a vision of Don Quixote.

And here is a completely understandable and life picture: a father leads a small child by the hand. And the name of the sculpture is appropriate - "The Sun". Author Aldon Nenasheva, 1987.

Then we come to the intersection of two alleys. This is where monumental sculpture begins. Most of the monuments located here are the disgraced "leaders of the people". Soviet revolutionary and party leaders, whose monuments, located during the years of Soviet power in different parts of Moscow, after a change in political course, were dismantled and brought to the Museum. We will be one of the first to see the Iron Felix statue from the Lubyanka from afar, as well as several other, albeit smaller, but also impressive monuments. However, we will not rush from side to side, so as not to miss anything. Let's go in order. First, let's examine the objects located on our right hand.

The first sculpture that appeared along the path of our movement is a man sitting on a bench, his head thrown high, looking at the sky. This is a monument to A.D. Sakharov, a scientist, creator of the first hydrogen bomb, and later, a public figure, human rights activist and dissident. This sculpture is one of the few that has nothing to do with the "gallery of disgraced leaders".

Turning our backs on the sculpture of Sakharov, we will find ourselves in front of a monument to one of the most controversial figures not only in Russian, but, probably, in world history. Before us is Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, in person.

This sculpture, made in 1938 by Sergei Merkurov, until 1993 was located in Izmailovsky Park. It is a reduced copy of a multi-meter statue that once towered over the Moscow Canal in the city of Dubna.

Behind Stalin's back is an iron cage crammed full of "human" heads. This work is called "Victims of Totalitarianism". Author E.I. Chubarov. The proximity of these two monuments is obvious and does not require comments.

To the right of Stalin is a sculpture by Ya.M. Sverdlov. Author R.E. Ambartsumyan. From 1978 to 1990, the monument to Sverdlov was located in the park next to Theater Square, which Soviet years bore his name.

And finally, we come to the monument to F.E. Dzerzhinsky.

Since 1958, a monument to Dzerzhinsky, the founder and head of the Cheka, the first special service in Soviet Russia, which served as the basis for the creation of the KGB, was located in the center of Lubyanka Square, opposite the building occupied by the state security agencies. After the August events of 1991, the monument was dismantled by the decision of the Moscow City Council. For several years it lay in the courtyard of the Tretyakov Gallery, and in 1994 it was transported and installed in the Park of Arts.

It is worth paying attention to the inscriptions made on the pedestal. They resemble acts of vandalism, but there is nothing like this on other sculptures (even on Stalin). The sculptures in the park are well guarded, and the inscriptions made in that very 91st, during the dismantling, which took place spontaneously and anyone could take part in it, were deliberately preserved, since they, along with the monument itself, are part of history.

Next to the "Iron Felix" is a monument to Maxim Gorky.

His fate is completely different, more prosaic. This monument, which was started by the sculptor I.D. Shadr, and finished (due to the death of Shadr) V.I. Mukhin, since 1951 he has been decorating what at. However, construction work has been going on there for more than ten years (since 2002). For the duration of their holding, the monument was temporarily moved to the Museon.

Now let's return to the crossroads and examine the sculptures located on its left side.

Monument-bust of V.I. Lenin.

Bust monument to Karl Marx.

The busts form a single composition created in 1939 by Sergei Merkurov. Until 2000, they were located at the Belorussky railway station.

Next to each other and very similar to each other, two monuments to L.I. Brezhnev.

From a distance it may seem that these busts, like the works of Merkurov, examined by us earlier, form a single composition. However, as you get closer, the difference in size becomes significantly noticeable. The author of these works, indeed, is one, Zalman Vilensky, hence the similarity of style. But the bust of Stalin was cast in 1947 (during the life of the "leader"), and the bust of Lenin more than 35 years later, in 1982.

Behind the busts there is an aluminum structure: two coats of arms of the USSR and the inscription below them: "The USSR is a stronghold of peace." Until 1991, the stele was located on Leninsky Prospekt (at the intersection with Kravchenko Street). By the way, there were several dozens of such monuments in Moscow, only a few have survived. Aluminum is a metal in demand at all times, and most of the structures were dismantled and melted down.

Next to the "Stronghold of the USSR" - a stone structure, which the author, V.M. Kuraev, appropriated the uncomplicated name "Cube" in the 1970s (why the "cube", if the composition consists of two cubes, remains a mystery).

The sides of two cubes standing on top of each other are decorated with bas-reliefs on the theme of life in the Soviet Union: peasant women harvesting crops, builders in the process of work, smoking chimneys of a factory, the inscription "Glory to Labor!" and, of course, the profile of Lenin.

We examined the sculptures located to our left. Now let's turn to right side. Here is a whole gallery of monuments to Lenin, brought from all over Moscow. Let's list just a few of them.

Monument by Vladimir Chazov (1960s), brought from the sculpture factory in 1998.

To the right, under the canopy of a sprawling tree, there is a monument to the "all-Union headman" M.I. Kalinin. Author Boris Dyuzhev, 1978. Until the early 1990s, the monument was located on Kalinin Avenue, which included the streets New Arbat and Vozdvizhenka.

Collecting stones.

Descent into hell.

We follow further. A man looking at a shapeless piece of stone is a monument to the sculptor S.D. Nefedov, a gift to Moscow from the Republic of Mordovia, Nefedov's homeland. His beloved dog was also honored to be cast in bronze along with the author.

From the monument to Nefedov we move to the left. Two men enthusiastically smoking their pipes are "Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr". Author Vladimir Lemport, 1970s.

Nearby is a sculpture called "Resurrection". Quite a strange vision of the biblical story. The only thing that can be assumed is that the white limestone is the clouds through which Christ rises into the sky.

The smallest sculpture in the park, its height without a pedestal is only 80 cm. This is Suvorov in the Alps.

We came to another crossroads, from which two alleys diverge to the right and to the left. As in the previous time, in order not to miss anything interesting, we will first go through one of them, and then, returning back, along the other.

Let's turn right first. Here, among the abundant greenery, there are several sculptures on military theme different years.

The statue of a warrior from the times of the Great Patriotic War, standing bareheaded, is called succinctly: "Soldier". Author T.Yu. Subkhankulov, 1996

Nearby is a sculpture in which a man breaks a nuclear missile. It is easy to guess that it is dedicated to the end of the arms race. The plate next to it confirms our guesses. The name of the sculpture is "Disarmament". Cast in 1987. Sculptor O.S. Kiryukhin.

An unnamed sculpture depicting a tank attack.

The next sculpture also does not have a name, but from the inscription engraved on the stone: "We died 13823" it is easy to guess that it is dedicated to the internationalist soldiers who died in Afghanistan.

We reach the next intersection. It makes no sense to go forward, from a distance it is clear that the park ends here. The church dome is visible in the distance. This is located very close to Muzeon, actually right behind the fence. But we can't go there directly. Therefore, we turn left.

From here, a rather unusual angle opens up to the monument to Peter I. It is located clearly in profile towards us.

Following this alley, we pass another series of sculptures. Of these, it is worth paying attention to the man with glasses. This is Mahatma Gandhi, the famous Indian figure.

At the next fork, the question arises, continue moving straight towards the monument to Peter, this road will obviously lead us to. But it should be remembered that we have not yet examined one more part of the park, so it is too early for us to go to the embankment. We turn left. On the way we will meet a small wooden cafe. If you want to refresh yourself, then you can take the opportunity, as there are quite a few cafes and other places to eat in the park.

A shady path leaves the cafe.

On it we will go exactly to the crossroads from which we recently left. Only now we are on its opposite side. In the distance we see the monument to Suvorov and the sculpture "Resurrection".

Now let's look at another part of the intersection, the one that remained unexplored.

Nearby, a monument to another Russian poet, Sergei Yesenin. Author Anataliy Bichukov, 1987

And between the two Russian poets is a writer from the exotic country of Ecuador, Johe Icaza Coronel. This bust was presented to Moscow by the Latin American Republic in 2010.

Not far from this "literary corner" is the most ordinary girl in a headscarf. The sculpture is called simply: "Builder". Author Christopher Gevorkyan, 1970.

Now we boldly move to the embankment. To our left, another gallery of allegories.

And on the right - a small sculpture depicting an elderly man with glasses and a cap. It can be assumed that this is the figure of an abstract person (like the old "Builder"), but this is not so. This is S.N. Sotnikov, artist and sculptor, cast in bronze by Salavat Shcherbakov in the 2000s.

And next to Mikhailo Lomonosov, the work of Leonid Baranov (1993). One can only wonder how randomly the sculptures in the Park of Arts are arranged. However, perhaps this is precisely its attraction.

In the immediate vicinity of the embankment there is a corner of Japan - the Oriental Garden. It includes:

Grotto fountain.

A pond with wooden bridges and a figure of a dragon emerging from Japanese legends. Children love to frolic here.

Another pond with a statue of a samurai on the island.

So, we are entering the final turn of our walk. Crimean embankment.

From here you can see the monument to the 300th anniversary Russian fleet from the nearest point. One gets the feeling that the sculpture can be touched by hand.

Cathedral of Christ the Savior on the opposite bank.

In the warm season, flowers always bloom in the flowerbeds of the embankment.

We follow the direction to the Crimean bridge.

An unusual fountain is located at the rear facade of the House of Artists. It does not have a bowl, the jets hit from small holes in the asphalt. Therefore, in the heat, you can swim in such a fountain without violating any rules of conduct. The fountain is equipped with a backlight that turns on at nightfall.

Diplomatic Academy.

In addition to bas-reliefs, the facade of the building is decorated with a memorial plaque in memory of A.M. Gorchakov, one of the outstanding diplomats of Russia.

Behind him, we see the lobby.

This concludes our walk. See you again.