Konenkov Sergey Timofeevich: biography, sculptures, personal life

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

The famous sculptor, artist Sergey Timofeevich Konenkov is one of the brightest representatives of Russian culture. It was he who managed to revive the images of the Russian fairy tale. Wood as the original material of Russian creativity Konenkov successfully revived in his creations.

Biography

The sculptor was born on July 28, old style (July 10, new). The place of his birth was the village of Karakovichi, which is located in the Smolensk province (now it is the Smolensk region, Elninsky district). The family was quite prosperous, although it was a peasant. Sergey Timofeevich Konenkov's mother died when the boy was four years old. After her death, he grew up in the house of his uncle, who noticed his nephew's unusual abilities early enough.

According to the decision of his uncle, Sergei was sent to study at the progymnasium. It was located in the city of Roslavl. It was there that the first achievements in painting began to appear. After graduating from the course, he lived in the family of his uncle's acquaintances - the landowners Smirnovs. During his stay with them, he, along with their son, received knowledge from home teachers. After thefinal exams Konenkov Sergei Timofeevich left for Moscow, where he passed the entrance exams at the School of Sculpture and Architecture. But after the entrance exams, it turned out that he was enrolled in the department of sculpture. Since the young man could not ask anyone for help, he had to combine study and work. He takes on private orders. One of these is the design of the facade. The house belonged to the tea merchant Perlov. Sergey Timofeevich also creates design sketches for the bakery shop.

In the future, Sergei Timofeevich Konenkov, whose biography is very interesting, traveled to countries such as Germany, France, Italy, in 1897. He was captivated by the works of Rodin. On the trip, Konenkov draws and sculpts a lot. After the trip, he creates his first work - "Stonebreaker" (in 1898), which he subsequently casts in bronze.

Next Sergey Timofeevich decides to continue his studies. To do this, he chooses the St. Petersburg Higher Art School.

But learning has become one of the most difficult stages in the life of a sculptor. Sergei Timofeevich Konenkov himself often became the source of conflicts in the academy. Sculptures of a young man were often made in the spirit of Rodin's works, which did not always suit his mentors. And his graduation work - the statue of "Samson" - caused a storm of emotions and a fierce discussion of professors. An excess of expression, a modernist approach to interpreting the plot, a departure from classical proportions - all this led to an ambiguous assessment of Konenkov's work.

The sculptor died in 1971, causingThat was pneumonia. Sergei Timofeevich was buried in Moscow. Burial place - Novodevichy cemetery.

The sculptor and the revolution

In 1905, during the beginning of the revolution, Sergey Timofeevich Konenkov was in Moscow. And he was directly involved in it. Organized fighting squads, fought at the barricades.

This activity is reflected in his work. He created a series of portrait paintings "Worker-militant of 1905 Ivan Churkin", "Slav", "Peasant", "Nike".

Konenkov Sergey Timofeevich: personal life

Unlike creativity, the personal life of the sculptor was not so simple. His first wife was Tatyana Konyaeva. She was a model. Tatiana became a permanent model for his works. Thanks to Konyaeva, he created the best of his works - Nike. In marriage, the couple had two children. However, it did not last long.

After ten years, Sergei Timofeevich met another woman named Margarita Vorontsova. At the beginning of 1922 they got married. And in 1923 the couple went to America. There they took part in an exhibition of Soviet art. In this country, the works created by Sergei Timofeevich Konenkov are very successful. Sculptures, for which his wife Margarita was a model, are especially popular. These works are "Jet of Water", "Bacchante", "Butterfly", "Magnolia".

They had no joint children. Sergei Timofeevich did not disclose the details of his personal life, for this reason the relationship between Sergei and Margaritaand the period of their residence in America became the source of various conjectures and legends.

Creativity

Konenkov made from different materials. He created a whole series of wooden works. In 1909-1910, the images of Russian fairy tales, epics and pagan mythology come to life in the sculptor's work. “Old men-polevichki”, “Lesoviki”, “Velikosil”, “Stribog”, “Yeruslan Lazarevich” are carved from wood. Konenkov found and revealed their forms in the very structure of the tree trunk. The series of female sculptures is also interesting: "Winged" (1913), "Firebird" (1915), "Caryatid" (1918) - all these works were included in this series. The so-called Greek series was completed, with such works as "The Youth" and "Horus". The revolutionary period was marked by the creation of a bas-relief "To those who fell in the struggle for peace and the brotherhood of peoples." He owns portrait works by Turgenev, Mayakovsky, Tsiolkovsky.

All works are the work of such a wonderful master as Sergei Timofeevich Konenkov. The creativity of this talented person found its expression in bronze, wood, stone, bas-reliefs, sculptures and canvases. They reflected the various stages of life and time in which the sculptor existed.

Interesting facts

In 1935, Sergey Timofeevich Konenkov received an order to make a bust of A. Einstein.

In the year of the return of the spouses to Moscow from New York (1945), on the personal order of J. S. Stalin, a steamship was allocated to transport all the works of the sculptor. Later, many of the plaster work was done in bronze and stone.

Awards, prizes

• 1951 - presentation of the Stalin Prize ("Marfinka" and "Ninochka").

• 1955 - assignment of the status of People's Artist of the RSFSR.

• 1958 - receiving the status of People's Artist of the USSR.

• 1964 - receiving the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.

• 1955, 1964 – Presentation of the Orders of Lenin.

Since 1964, the honorary citizen of the city of Smolensk is none other than Sergey Timofeevich Konenkov. The sculptor's work has been marked by many awards, medals and prizes.

Memory

To the centenary of Sergei Timofeevich in 1974, a memorial workshop-museum was opened. Its interior is made according to the sketches of Sergei Timofeevich. There is also a sculpture museum in Smolensk bearing his name. In memory of Konenkov in 1973, a postage stamp was issued with a portrait of Sergei Timofeevich. Streets in cities such as Moscow, Roslavl, Smolensk, Donetsk, have acquired names in honor of the sculptor.

Such a talented person as Sergei Timofeevich Konenkov, whose brief biography reveals his life before us, has become one of the best sculptors and artists in our country.