What is monumental art

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

In modern schools, high school students are taught a very important and necessary subject called "World Art Culture". The MHK course tells schoolchildren about the masterpieces of architecture and fine art from antiquity to the present day. The program also includes such a section as monumental art. We will get to know him better now.

What is monumental art?

This is a special section of fine art, distinguished by the plastic or semantic load of an architectural work, as well as the importance and significance of the ideological content. The word "monumental" comes from the Latin moneo, which means "remind". And no wonder, because this type of art is one of the oldest on earth.

History of monumental art

The roots of this type of architecture and painting go back to primitive society. Ancient people then only learned to draw, clumsily held coal in their fingers, but their works of monumental painting onthe cave walls were already amazing. Of course, they were drawn clumsily, there was no abundance of colors, but there was a sense. It consisted in the representation of ancient people about the forces of nature, their own lives, and various skills. Therefore, the walls of the caves were decorated with various scenes from the life of a primitive man: mammoth prey, the most beautiful woman in the cave, ritual dances around the fire, and many, many others.

Primitive society was replaced by the Ancient World, and monumental creativity also found its place there. In ancient Egypt, this art was very respected and loved. This is what the sphinxes and Egyptian pyramids that have survived to this day tell us. During the Renaissance, there was a flourishing of monumental architecture. Such masterpieces as the statue of David, the painting "The Creation of Adam", as well as the ceiling painting of the Sistine Chapel, were born. All these works were made by the genius of his time - Michelangelo Buonarroti.

At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, art takes a new path. The most popular then style "modern" was reflected in this work, which is why most of the monumental works were made in this direction. This especially affected painting and was reflected in the works of such artists as M. Vrubel, M. Denis and others. But architecture was not forgotten either, at that time such sculptors as E. Bourdelle and A. Maillol were working. Most of the works in the genre of monumental sculpture, which we admire and admire, were created by their hands.to this day.

This type of art received the greatest development and recognition in the USSR. The country of the Soviets set itself Napoleonic plans, and impressive monuments and pedestals reflected its ideas in the best possible way. Impressive, tall, soaring statues reflect the courage and fortitude of the workers of that time.

Examples of this art form

This includes both architecture and painting. Monumental art includes mosaics, frescoes, monuments and busts, various sculptural and decorative compositions, stained glass windows and even … fountains. Now you can see how much art is included here. It is no wonder that thousands of museums have been created around the world, where panels, busts and sculptures from various eras and generations are exhibited to everyone's admiration.

Variety of pieces

This includes two types of creativity: sculpture and fine art. Monumental and decorative painting usually consists of various panels, wall paintings, bas-reliefs, etc. They serve as a decoration for the environment and are necessarily part of any ensemble, being its important part. A variety of techniques are distinguished in monumental painting: fresco, stained glass, mosaic, etc. It is worth noting that monumental painting is located on a structure specially created for it or on an immovable architectural basis.

The era of the USSR and this type of creativity

Monumental art was highly valued in the USSR. It contributes to the developmentartistic taste, education of morality and patriotic feelings for their homeland. It emotionally enriches, giving unforgettable memories when looking at it, which remain forever in the soul and hearts of both children and adults. Soviet monumental art is characterized by humanism and artistic organization. Works of painting and architecture, made in the appropriate style, could be found everywhere: near schools and kindergartens, factories and parks. They managed to build monuments even in the most unusual places.

This type of creativity became widespread after the October Revolution, when a new country was being built with new laws, orders and socialism. It was then that works of monumental art received special recognition among the people. All painters, sculptors, architects were seized with an impulse to create a masterpiece of monumental art to show that the time has changed, a new life has come, a new way of life, new discoveries in science and a new kind of art.

Immortal work

One of the most memorable creations of those times was the magnificent monumental sculpture by Vera Mukhina "Worker and Collective Farm Woman", personifying the hard work and feat of the Soviet people. The history of the monument is very interesting and informative. In 1936, the construction of the Palace of Soviets was completed, at the top of which there was supposed to be a monument "Worker and Collective Farm Woman". To create a sculptural structure, the best craftsmen were selected, including Vera Mukhina. They were given two months to work and were told that the statue should representtwo figures - a worker and a collective farmer. Four sculptors executed the same idea in completely different ways. For some, the figures stood calmly and serenely, for others, on the contrary, they violently rushed forward, as if trying to overtake someone. And only Mukhina Vera Ignatievna captured in her work a wonderful moment of the movement begun, but not completed. It was her work that was approved by the commission. Now the monument "Worker and Collective Farm Woman" is under restoration.

Monumental painting: examples

As mentioned above, the fine arts of this type are rooted in ancient times. Even then, magnificent drawings were created on the walls of the caves, depicting the process of hunting, ancient rituals, etc.

Monumental and decorative painting is divided into several types:

• Fresco. This image is created on wet plaster with several types of paints, which are obtained from a pigment in the form of a powder. When such paint dries, a film is formed that protects the work from external influences.
• Mosaic. The drawing is laid out on the surface with small glass or multi-colored stones.
• Tempera. Works of this type are made with paints from a pigment of plant origin, diluted in an egg or oil. Like a fresco, applied to wet plaster.
• Stained glass window. Similar to a mosaic, it is also laid out from pieces of multi-colored glass. The difference is that the pieces are soldered together, and the finished product is placed in a window opening.

The most famous works of monumental painting are the frescoes of Theophan the Greek, for example, the double-sided icon "Our Lady of the Don", on the other side of which is depicted the "Assumption of the Virgin". Also, works of art include the "Sistine Madonna" by Raphael Santi, "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci and other paintings.

Monumental architecture: masterpieces of world art

Good sculptors have always been worth their weight in gold. Therefore, the world was enriched with such works as the Arc de Triomphe, located in Moscow, the monument to Peter 1 "The Bronze Horseman", the sculpture of David, made by Michelangelo and located in the Louvre, the statue of the beautiful Venus, whose hands were cut off, and many others. Such types of monumental and decorative art fascinate and attract the eyes of millions, you want to admire them again and again.

There are several types of architecture of this type:

• Monument. Usually this is a sculpture of one or more people standing still or frozen in some pose. Made from stone, granite, marble.
• Monument. Perpetuates in stone any event in history, such as the Patriotic War, or a great personality.
• Stela. This type of architecture is a slab of stone, granite or marble, standing upright and having some kind of inscription or drawing.
• Obelisk. This is a pillar consisting of four edges pointed upwards.

Conclusion

Monumental art is a complex and ambiguous thing. For all people, it evokes different feelings, for someone it is pride in the masters that human hands were able to produce a masterpiece. Someone feels bewildered: how could such a work be done by an ordinary person, because there are so many small details in it? Another viewer will simply stop and admire the monuments of painting and architecture, both ancient and modern. But the objects of monumental art will not leave indifferent any person. This is because all the masters who have done something in this style have a huge, remarkable, real talent, patience and boundless love for their work.