Opekushin Alexander Mikhailovich, Russian sculptor: biography, works

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

In the world you can find many monuments that not only amaze the imagination with their grandeur, sharp lines, but also help to trace the development of the art of sculpture over the centuries. But what do we know about those people who create these monuments, who put a particle of their soul into their favorite business?

In this article we will remember the famous Russian sculptor. Opekushin Alexander Mikhailovich - who is he, what contribution did he make to world art, and what works did he become famous for?

Biography

Born A. M. Opekushin on November 28, 1838 (according to other sources, 1833) in the small Volga village of Svechkino (Yaroslavl province). He came from a peasant family. His father was a serf of the landowner Ekaterina Olkhina, a skilled self-taught sculptor.

From childhood, Opekushin showed artistic talent and taste, approaching simple peasant tasks creatively. Hesuccessfully graduated from the village school. It was difficult not to pay attention to the boy's giftedness, so the father, who was often on assignment from the mistress in St. Petersburg, decided to send the boy to study. Having obtained the consent of E. Olkhina, young Opekushin at the age of 12 went to enter the Drawing School of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of Artists.

Education

Studying in St. Petersburg was easy. And instead of the prescribed three years, he spent only two. A. M. Opekushin showed outstanding abilities during his studies and won the hearts of famous artists and professors. One of them was the Danish sculptor David Jensen. After graduating from the Drawing School, he invited Opekushin to his workshop as a freelance sculptor.

Further education and career for the young sculptor were impossible, because according to the documents he was still a serf. To solve the problem, Opekushin needed money for ransom - 500 rubles. To do this, he worked hard, completing additional orders and receiving a salary.

Strong emotional stress, daily study, constant lack of sleep and malnutrition significantly weakened Opekushin's body, and he fell seriously ill. Only the care of friends at the academy and young age helped to overcome the disease. And in 1859 Opekushin was signed free. Now he was free to continue his creative path as and where he wanted.

The Imperial Academy of Arts has become the new alma mater. At the same time, the young sculptor continued to visit Jensen's workshop and diligently won the title of one of the best Russians.sculptors.

Family

In 1861, Alexander Mikhailovich got married. Unfortunately, the sources do not provide accurate data about his wife and children. It is only known that Opekushin had a large family, several daughters. A regular income from the creation of decorative sculptures helped to support her.

Opekushin Alexander Mikhailovich was a deeply religious person and a staunch monarchist. His work was highly valued in the imperial family. During a difficult period in Russia, the family of the already famous Russian sculptor was begging and starving. At public expense, she moved from revolutionary St. Petersburg (then Petrograd) to Opekushin's native province. And later in Rybnitsy she received a house for free use. Alexander Mikhailovich was at an advanced age and was no longer engaged in his favorite craft. However, the People's Commissariat of Education allocated Academic Rations for his family.

In 1923, Opekushin fell ill with pneumonia and died. He was buried in the same village of Rybnitsa, next to the Church of the Savior, in which he was baptized. Half a century later, a modest tombstone appeared on the sculptor's grave. And in 2012, an unknown admirer of Opekushin's work allocated money for a granite tombstone with the inscription: "To the great sculptor from grateful descendants."

Career start

Opekushin Alexander Mikhailovich began to work early as an artist and sculptor. By the age of 17, he had created the authority of a talented master. However, the turning point in his fate was 1862. The bas-relief "Angels proclaiming the Nativity of Christ to the shepherds" becamea kind of starting point in great art for a young sculptor.

Soon he was noticed by the famous artist Mikhail Mikeshin and offered to take part in the creation of the monument in Novgorod "The Millennium of Russia" - a large-scale project at that time. Of course, cooperation with Mikeshin had a serious impact on Opekushin. However, at the same time, it weighed heavily on the sculptor. The style of the young sculptor was largely formed under the influence of the work of the Russian realist sculptor Mark Antokolsky, in particular, his statues of Ivan the Terrible and Peter I.

Works

Opekushin has created dozens of masterpieces throughout his career. For some of them, the Russian sculptor received awards and titles. But, unfortunately, a large part of the monuments was demolished during the revolutionary period. Such, for example, was the monument to Alexander II. It was opened in 1898. The bronze monument stood near the southern Kremlin wall.

Opekushin became widely known for his works demonstrated at the World Exhibition in Paris. These include a chased dish depicting historical scenes, which was made according to the model of the master.

It is impossible to deny the huge contribution that Opekushin Alexander Mikhailovich made to the development of Russian and world sculpture. His sculptures are distinguished by a simple, restrained, but at the same time deeply individual manner of execution. The list of works includes monuments to famous poets A. S. Pushkin and M. Yu. Lermontov, naturalist Karl von Baer and Admiral Greig, a bust of Countess Shuvalova andTsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich.

However, the later work of the sculptor is regarded by critics as less successful and expressive. For example, the monument to Emperor Alexander III was not highly appreciated by contemporaries.

Statue of Peter I

Opekushin liked to work with portrait sculptures of famous historical figures. Particularly successful was his work dedicated to Peter I. The statue depicts the king sitting on a chair in a uniform and over the knee boots.

The sculptor amazingly managed to capture the impulsiveness and mobility of character that Peter the Great possessed. However, as already mentioned, this is far from the only portrait masterpiece created by the master.

Monument to Pushkin

One of the most significant works created by Opekushin is a monument to Pushkin. The sculptor began to create it in 1872, abandoning all other projects. It took three long years to develop a sketch of the monument. To do this, the master had to study more than a dozen portraits of the poet and his work. After the approval of Opekushin's candidacy in 1875, he began to implement the sketch. The sculptor took the architect I. Bogomolov as his assistant.

Only five years later, all the work was completed. And on June 6, 1880, a monument to the great Russian poet A. S. was officially opened on Tverskoy Boulevard in Moscow. Pushkin. The bronze monument stood majestically on a pedestal and immediately aroused mass enthusiasm among the townspeople.

And today the Russian poet in bronze performance is thoughtfully standing on one of the main streets of the capital inan elegant frock coat, over which a wide-brimmed cloak is thrown. In his posture, one feels ease, liveliness. A slight tilt of the head and Pushkin's gaze express inspiration and noble majesty.

Opekushin himself considered the monument to Pushkin one of the most serious and grandiose works, in the implementation of which he invested not only his time and effort, but also part of his soul, love for poetic art.

Monument to Lermontov

In 1889, he turned to the work of another famous Russian poet and erected a monument to Lermontov in Pyatigorsk. His composition partly captures the source of inspiration and endless thoughts of the poet - the Caucasus.

Looking at the monumental Lermontov, you involuntarily catch yourself thinking that the poet, after some wandering, sat down on a rock and, bowing his head, admires the snow-white caps of the mountains. His gaze expresses deep thoughtfulness and inspiration. Some lovers of sculpture felt that the monument to Lermontov captured the poet rather sad and ugly, with sharp features. While his portraits speak more of softness. However, this creation of the artist, in an individual manner and perception, remained the decoration of the city.

Monument to Muravyov-Amursky

The largest building in pre-revolutionary Russia and in the work of Opekushin (16 meters high) was the monument to Count Muravyov-Amursky, the governor of Eastern Siberia. After his death in 1881, Emperor Alexander III decided to perpetuate the memory of his close associate. Therefore, in 1886, he announced a competition forsculptors. Among them was the "golden trinity" Mikeshin, Antokolsky and Opekushin.

The project of Alexander Mikhailovich was recognized as the best. The laying of the monument took place in 1888, and three years later it was officially opened in Khabarovsk and installed on the Khabarovsk cliff. The figure of the count towered on a pedestal, his gaze was directed towards China. The pedestal was decorated with five commemorative plaques with the names of officers and civilians who actively participated in the annexation of the Amur region to Russia. However, in 1925, in connection with the "Decree on Monuments", the monument was demolished and given to the local history museum, and later cut into scrap metal.

Decorative sculpture

Decorative sculpture occupied a special place in Opekushin's work. It was she who was the subject of his tireless attention, improvement and the main source of income. It was thanks to her that Alexander Mikhailovich was recognized as a talented modeller at a young age.

After the skillful execution of the bas-reliefs and the famous seven figures for the monument to Catherine II in St. Petersburg, Opekushin was commissioned to decorate the Royal Doors for the iconostasis in the Resurrection Cathedral. And he did it masterfully.

The portrait busts, which were created by the sculptor, showed a realistic approach with a subtle reflection of individual features. In the rest of the author's works of decorative sculpture, art historians emphasize the artistic expressiveness of the images and the elegance and softness of the lines.

Awards and titles

• During training inImperial Academy of Arts Opekushin Alexander Mikhailovich received his first award - a silver medal - for the magnificent performance of a bas-relief on a biblical theme.
• In 1864, for the sketches of the statues "Belisarius" and "Cupid and Psyche", the sculptor received the title of a non-class artist. Five years later, he was promoted from this rank to class artist 2nd degree, and even later received 1st degree.
• The most significant achievement was the title of academician, which Opekushin was awarded in 1872. The Imperial Academy of Arts included him in the academic staff due to his merits and significant works in the format of the state: the bust of the Tsarevich and the statue of Peter the Great.
• In the same year, the Society of Natural Science Lovers awarded Alexander Mikhailovich a large gold medal for a number of thematic works.
• Opekushin's victories were also at the international level. One of the highest achievements was the first prize he received in Estonia, the city of Tartu (then Dorpat) for the creation of a monument to Karl Baer. Along with Opekushin, sculptors from Europe and America took part in this competition.

Interesting facts

• In 1978, in memory of the sculptor (on his 140th birthday), an illustrated (artistic) envelope was issued with his portrait on the front side.
• In 1986, astronomer Lyudmila Chernykh discovered an asteroid, which she named after a Russian sculptor.
• Since 1993, the Opekushin Yaroslavl Prize has been awarded annually to outstanding cultural figures.
• In 2013Olga Davydova published a book about the life and work of the sculptor. By the way, the author published essays about Opekushin several times. This book contains a description of the most significant periods of the life and works of the great master. It took almost 30 years to create it. And the reason for the publication was two dates at once: the 175th anniversary of the birth of Opekushin (born 1833 according to sources) and the 90th anniversary of his death.

P. S

The example that Alexander Mikhailovich Opekushin showed to the world, his biography and achievements in art, is truly a feat of a serf. He was one of the first to go against the social system and proved that neither social status nor any other restrictions prevent a person from doing what he loves and creating something beautiful, forever leaving a memory of himself on this planet. And even though the Russian sculptor was forgotten for several years after numerous praises and titles, art historians are sure that his trace in monumental sculptural art is definitely deep and has no boundaries of memory.