Аннотация: Monument near Rzhev. Some thoughts. A note on monumental art.
Monument near Rzhev. Some thoughts. A note on monumental art.
About a year and a half ago, by coincidence, I had to write about a monument to Russian soldiers erected in Paris.
[CCCXCV. The Dialogue on the Monument to the Russian Expeditionary Force (in Paris) (November 14, 2018)]
After reviewing the history of the appearance of this monument in Paris, I discovered the surname of Medinsky V.R.
The situation with this monument took place in France, a country with free media, due to which we have a possibility to more or less thoroughly familiarize ourselves with the history of the issue.
The complex history of this Parisian monument makes us think of such a creative tradition as the depiction of living creatures (except humans) in sculptural compositions.
It would seem that equestrian statues (horseman on horseback, rider riding a horse) are an integral part of many European cities.
However, despite a strong, sustainable tradition, unnecessary aspects may arise even with equestrian (rider riding a horse) statues. An example of this is the story of the equestrian monument to Alexander the Third.
The perception of the monument becomes even more ambiguous if it is not presented in the format of an equestrian statue (horseman riding a horse). On the Parisian monument, the horse stands separately, and the warrior - separately.
All lessons and aspects related to the history of the Paris monument were not sufficiently taken into account by official structures.
A few days ago, a recording of Medinsky's conversation with a high-ranking person became public, where Medinsky proposes to erect a monument nearby city of Rzhev (Rzhevsky memorial to a Soviet soldier) and receives consent to this.
And now the monument is open. According to media reports, cranes [birds] are present in the sculptural composition of the monument.
Is there a tradition of depicting birds in world, European, and Soviet monumental art? There is some tradition of depicting eagles - but eagles were usually depicted separately - perhaps with the rarest exception.
Yes, art is an experiment. But there are areas where there is pride in military history, where there are sadness and sorrow, and where experiments are needed to the least extent. Where it is desirable to adhere to the prevailing - higher - traditions, originating in the art of Ancient Greece (in antique art).
There are people who understand art even less than Medinsky, but go towards his proposals. For some mysterious reason, Medinsky is pushed into the role of a kind of cultural intelligence. The cultural baggage by which Medinsky filled Russia is very uncertain in its artistic value. At the same time, according to financial documents, you can track the monetary value of this baggage.
For people's money, people without the proper cultural taste and understanding of history are experimenting in the field of fine (monumental) art.
Experiments are unnecessary, and, as the history of the Paris monument shows, experiments are risky...
It can be assumed that it is not the creative direction for Russial art (with the modern general level of its development) to perform meaningless attempts to change the traditional style - in such a thin sphere as a monumental depiction of heroes and military exploits, a preserving the memory of them...
June 2, 2020 11:48
Translation from Russian into English: July 3, 2020 14:22.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Памятник подо Ржевом. Некоторые размышления. Заметка о монументальном искусстве'.