Opekushin Alexander Mikhailovich, Russian sculptor: biography, works

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

In this article we will recall the well-known Russian sculptor. Opekushin Alexander Mikhailovich - who is he, what contribution did he make to the world art, and by what works he became famous?

Biography

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

Since childhood, Opekushin has shown artistic talent and taste, approaching simple peasant tasks creatively. He successfully graduated from a rural school. It was difficult not to pay attention to the giftedness of the boy, so the father, who often visited the lady in St Petersburg, decided to send the boy to study. Having obtained the consent of E. Olkhina, young Opekushin went to the Drawing School of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of Artists at the age of twelve.

Education

Training in St. Petersburg was easy. And instead of the put three years, he spent only two. A.M. Opekushin showed exceptional 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 freestyler.

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

Strong emotional tension, 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 ailment. And in 1859, Opekushin was signed free. Now he was free and could continue the creative path, how and where he wants.

The new alma mater became the Imperial Academy of Arts. In parallel, the young stucco continued to visit Jensen's workshop and assiduously won the title of one of the best Russian sculptors.

A family

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

Opekushin Alexander Mikhailovich was a deeply religious person and a convinced monarchist. His work was highly appreciated in the imperial family. During a difficult period in Russia, the family of the already famous Russian sculptor was begging and starving. At the state expense, she moved from revolutionary St. Petersburg (then Petrograd) to her native province of Opekushina. And later in Rybnitsa I got a house for free use. Alexander Mikhailovich was in his old age and was no longer engaged in his favorite craft. However, the People's Commissariat of Education allocated an Academic Ration 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 grave of the sculptor. And in 2012 an unknown admirer of Opekushin's creativity allocated money for a granite tombstone with the inscription: "To the great sculptor from grateful descendants".

Carier start

Work Opekushin Alexander Mikhailovich as an artist and sculptor began early. By the time he was 17, he had created the authority of a talented master. However, the year 1862 was turning in his destiny. The bas-relief "Angels Telling the Shepherds Christmas" became a 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 "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 also weighed the sculptor. The style of the young sculptor was largely shaped and influenced by the work of the Russian sculptor-realist Mark Antokolsky, in particular, his statues of Ivan the Terrible and Peter I.

Works

For the entire creative path, Opekushin created dozens of masterpieces. For some of them, the Russian sculptor received awards and titles. But, unfortunately, a considerable part of the monuments was demolished during the revolutionary period. Such, for example, became a monument to Alexander II. It was opened in 1898. The bronze monument towered over the southern Kremlin wall.

Widely known to Opekushin brought work, demonstrated at the World Exhibition in Paris. These include a chased dish depicting historical scenes, which was made by the model of the master.

It is impossible to deny the huge contribution made to the development of Russian and world sculpture by Opekushin Alexander Mikhailovich. 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, bust of Countess Shuvalova and Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich.

However, later the 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 his 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 a king sitting on a chair in a uniform and boots.

Sculptor surprisingly managed to capture the impetuosity and mobility of character, which possessed Peter the Great. 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 that Opekushin created is a monument to Pushkin. For his creation, the sculptor began in 1872, abandoning all other projects. For a long time, it took me three years to develop a sketch of the monument. For this, the master had to study not one dozen portraits of the poet and his work. After the approval of the candidacy of Opekushin in 1875, he proceeded to implement the sketch. In assistants the sculptor took architect I. Bogomolov.

Only after five years all the works were finished. And June 6, 1880 on Tverskoi Boulevard in Moscow was officially opened a monument to the great Russian poet A.S. To Pushkin. The bronze monument towered majestically on the pedestal and immediately aroused the enthusiasm of the citizens.

And today the Russian poet in bronze performance pensively stands on one of the main streets of the capital in an elegant frock coat, over which a wide-brimmed cloak will be thrown. In his pose felt ease, liveliness. The slight inclination of the head and Pushkin's look express inspiration and noble greatness.

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 strength, but also part of his soul, his love of 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. In the composition of it is partly captured and the source of inspiration and endless thoughts of the poet - the Caucasus.

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

Monument to Muravyov-Amur

The largest monument in the pre-revolutionary Russia and in Opekushin's art (16 meters in height) was a monument to Count Muraviev-Amursky, the governor of Eastern Siberia. After his death in 1881, Emperor Alexander III decided to perpetuate the memory of the approximate. Therefore, in 1886 he announced a competition for sculptors. Among them was the "golden trinity" Mikeshin, Antokolsky and Opekushin.

Alexander Mikhailovich's project 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 rose 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 museum of local lore, and later was scrapped.

Decorative Sculpture

A special place in the work of Opekushin was occupied by decorative sculpture. It was she who was the subject of his tireless attention, perfection and the main source of income. It was thanks to her that Alexander Mikhailovich, at a young age, was recognized as a talented modeler.

After the skilful execution of bas-reliefs and the famous seven figures for the monument to Catherine II in St. Petersburg, Opekushin was commissioned to decorate the Royal Gates for the iconostasis in the Resurrection Cathedral. And he mastered it with skill.

In the portrait busts that were created by the sculptor, a realistic approach with a subtle reflection of individual traits was noted. In other author's works of decorative sculpture, art critics emphasize the artistic expressiveness of images and elegance, the softness of lines.

Awards and titles

• During his studies at the Imperial Academy of Arts, Opekushin Alexander Mikhailovich received his first award - a silver medal - for the magnificent execution of the bas-relief on a biblical theme.
• In 1864, for the sketches of the statues of "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 a class artist of the 2 nd degree, and even later received a 1 degree.
• The most significant achievement was the title of academician, which was awarded to Opekushin in 1872. The Imperial Academy of Arts included him in the scientific composition due to his merits and significant works in the state format: the bust of the crown prince and the statue of Peter the Great.
• In the same year, Alexander Mikhailovich Society of Naturalists was awarded 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 the monument to Karl Baer. Along with Opekushinym in this competition sculptors from the countries of Europe and America took part.

Interesting Facts

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

PS

The example that Opekushin Alexander Mikhailovich showed to the world, his biography and achievements in art, is truly a feat of the serf peasant. 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 likes and creating something beautiful, leaving his memory forever on this planet. And let the Russian sculptor after many praises and titles forgot for several years, critics are sure, his trace in monumental sculptural art is unequivocally deep and does not have boundaries of memory.