Modern Russial art of creating monuments. In connection with the monument to the 800th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Nevsky. Reflections of the cultural observer Vladimir Zalessky. A culturological essay
Аннотация: Modern Russial art of creating monuments. In connection with the monument to the 800th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Nevsky. Reflections of the cultural observer Vladimir Zalessky. A culturological essay.
Modern Russial art of creating monuments. In connection with the monument to the 800th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Nevsky. Reflections of the cultural observer Vladimir Zalessky. A culturological essay.
We have already spoken about the monument erected near Rzhev.
One of our thoughts was that there are no stable traditions of depicting animals in modern European culture. The exceptions are images of eagles and horses (a rider on horseback)
In this regard, images of animals - as elements of monuments - are very risky projects.
What birds are depicted on the monument near Rzhev? Knowledgeable people through the media explained to citizens that these were cranes, aiming at the sky.
And if the person has not heard these explanations? What kind of birds could he see? Let's hope not wild ducks.
At that time, the Russial cosmonaut Wagner was rotating in space orbit ...
The monument near Rzhev was partly in a neutral cultural space, partly between stable artistic traditions.
Thanks for the fact that this monument was not executed in the fashionable modern tradition of a deliberate flirtatious (pagan?) ugliness ...
After the creation of the military and historical Society (this happened some time after the magnificent celebration of the bicentennial of the Battle of Borodino; some of the leading successful leaders of the military-historical reconstruction movement, as a result of the creation of the Society, had to move to secondary positions), after the start of active, energetic activity under the scale of the Society of various figures - after all this, acute situations periodically flared up. The most famous ones are the controversial attempts to perpetuate the memory of Mannerheim and Kolchak.
The monument near Rzhev did not arouse sharp criticism.
First, a huge information campaign was deployed, and statements, partly disloyal, could be slightly dangerous.
Secondly, not every cultural observer of the modern type is capable of discussing issues of artistic style. Few people reach and touch such subtleties. The "discussion" is being conducted in the form of praises of the enormous financial flows pouring out of the Russial treasury onto a Russial culture. (At the same time, it is desirable, even obligatory, to note the role of influential figures).
At beginning, before writing this essay, we planned to first look at the photographs of the new monument to Alexander Nevsky, erected on the shore of Lake Peipsi (Pskovsko-Chudskoye ozero).
The plan was as follows: to consider the photographs and to determine the place of this monument in a spaces of existed and existing artistic and cultural traditions.
The result of the reasoning was approximately anticipated - a comparison with the ancient Greek traditions of creating sculptures.
But then we changed our minds ...
We will confine ourselves to the information that we heard on the radio.
What stopped our plans?
How tactful is the depiction of people, when making such a monument?
Orthodox saints are depicted on icons [a sacred image] ...
If you repeat the images on the icons, then you do a tactlessness.
If you do not repeat the image on the icons, then you get innovation. And innovation in this matter - isn't it audacity?
Note that the celebration of the birthday was not an ancient Russian tradition.
In addition, in the time of Alexander Nevsky, chronology was conducted in a different way - not like now ...
The monument could be symbolic, but neither a triumphal column, nor a stele, nor other types of symbolic monuments are suitable in this case: they do not correspond to the culture, cultural atmosphere, cultural stylistics of Ancient Rus'.
So, what kind of monument would seem tactful and organic?
Perhaps a neutral but recognizable symbol would be suitable - for example, an image of a Veche Bell.
(Moreover, such a bell would neutralize the impression of the split Tsar Bell located on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin).
Yes, a Veche Bell would be a good symbol and a good monument.
The Veche Bell is, for example, a symbol of readiness for a dangerous historical situation.
The Veche Bell corresponds to the style of the monument to the 1000th anniversary of Russia. On the monument to the millennium of Russia, Alexander Nevsky is depicted among 109 historical figures; this create the appropriate context.
Of course, this idea (Veche Bell) may be liked by someone. But we draw attention to the low chances of its implementation.
The fact is that the Veche Bell is a symbol of a real democracy. And the Veche Bell speaks much more about the character and culture of Ancient Rus', than the admiring stories in a slightly lowered tone about the defeated Western occupiers and about the humble visits of the conquered tributaries to the despotic pagan Horde ...
September 12, 2021 17:35
Translation from Russian into English: September 12, 2021 19:20.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Современное российское искусство создания памятников. В связи с памятником к 800-летию со дня рождения Александра Невского. Размышления культурного обозревателя Владимира Залесского. Культурологический очерк'.