Sculptures of Ernst Neizvestny: description, photo

Among the outstanding sculptors of the world, Ernst Neizvestny takes a worthy place. Sculptures, photos of which can be seen in all the textbooks on the art of the 20th century, betray an unusual view of the world. The works of the Unknown are always recognizable and produce a vivid impression of their expression and vitality. The life of the artist was not easy, but he was able to maintain his individuality, humor and optimism until the very end of his days.

Milestones of biography

Born Ernst Unknown on April 9, 1925 in Sverdlovsk. Parents, a doctor and a poet, were repressed in the 1930s. The boy's talent appeared very early, he visited art school as a child, and at 17 he entered the school at the Academy of Arts. During the Second World War, Ernst volunteered for the front and, after training, went to serve in the airborne troops. In 1945 he was badly injured and sent for treatment. For the battle in which he was wounded, Unknown was presented to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. But because of the name there was confusion, and for 28 years the award committee could not find Ernst. Just at this time, the Unknown man had a direct conflict with Khrushchev on the subject of art, and the title of the Hero was never given to the artist, replacing him with the Order of the Red Star. After the war, Neizvestny is educated at the Riga Academy of Arts, the Institute. Surikov, at the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University. By the middle of 1950 Ernst Iosifovich became a notable artist, nonconformist. In 1962 he took part in an exhibition of contemporary art, defeated by N. Khrushchev. Since that time it has become difficult to work in the USSR to the Unknown, and in 1976 he emigrates, first to Switzerland and then to the US, where he will live most of his life. After perestroika, Ernst Iosifovich often visited Russia. His works are in private and museum collections in his homeland and in many countries of the world. The unknown was married several times, he had a daughter. At the age of 88 he suffered a complicated operation and continued to create and live for a few more years. The artist died on August 9, 2016 in New York.

Creative way

Since the late 50's, the Unknown has been actively working and experimenting. First of all, it is realized as a sculptor. But since the 70s he devoted much time to graphics, illustrating literary works, in particular, "Crime and Punishment" by F.M. Dostoevsky. In the USSR, Neizvestny had only two exhibitions to pass, after which he was subjected to harassment for his desire for avant-garde. Since 1965, he has actively participated in exhibitions in the West. Before his departure abroad, Ernst managed to create 850 different works in the USSR. And after emigration, Unknown becomes a constant participant in various artistic events in different countries of the world. He always had a very high productivity of work. Sculptures of Ernst Neizvestny become very popular, he quickly becomes a real celebrity. After perestroika, the artist again began to work actively in his homeland. From the end of the 20th century, the Unknown was perceived all over the world as a living classic, the master.

Author's style of Ernst Neizvestny

Already in his early works, the sculptor showed innovation. Sculptures of Ernst Neizvestny combine a deep symbolism and powerful expressionism. He is the ancestor of a new sculpture of the 20th century. His creations are universal metaphors with the deepest philosophical sense, not in vain some critics, trying to define his style, called the works of the Unknown by "intellectual sculpture". In his mature work Ernst Iosifovich often turns to the human body, trying to connect it with the world of artifacts, the artist called it "second nature." The main theme of his work is humanism, it is the tragedy of human life, its meaning was occupied most of all by the Unknown person throughout his life. He constantly turned to the ultimate human problems, he was interested in the highest manifestations of the human spirit. By the features of his author's style, researchers call large-scale, expressive deformation of the image, a high degree of generalization of the image.

The most famous sculptures of Ernst Neizvestny

The creative heritage of Ernst Neizvestny is enormous, until now no one has undertaken to calculate how many works the master created. He has always been very efficient, so there is a very large number of his creations. His most famous works include the monument to N. Khrushchev, the monumental sculptures The Tree of Life and Orpheus, the composition Prometheus and the Children of the World, the Lotus Flower monument, the sculptural portraits of A. Tarkovsky and D. Shostakovich, the religious work " Heart of Christ ", sculpture" The Golden Child "in Odessa, the monument" Revival ". This list is completely incomplete, since the artist had many works. Modern sculpture is not only a collectible, but often it becomes part of the human environment. Many modern monumentalists created specially works for different cities, Ernst Neizvestny also often worked. Sculptures in Moscow were established already during the period of perestroika and are mainly part of the mature work of the master. So, in the capital of Russia you can see such monuments of the artist as "Tree of Life", "Revival", a tomb of N. Khrushchev.

Orpheus

Two-meter sculpture "Orpheus" by Ernst Neizvestny was created in 1962. The original is kept in the artist's studio in New York. Sketches for this work were used to create a prize statuette of the TEFI award. The figure has an impressive weight - 8.5 kg, and exactly repeats the image of its "great progenitor". The idea of creating a sculpture came to the artist after Khrushchev defeated his creations at an art exhibition. In the image of a poet with a torn chest, playing "on the strings of his soul," certainly, Ernst Iosifovich passed on his own experiences of that time.

Tree of Life

Global, universal problems are always of interest to big artists, such as Ernst Neizvestny. Sculptures "The Tree of Life" and "Prometheus and the Children of the World", created on the basis of myths, are devoted to universal questions of being, good and evil. In the "Tree of Life" the author addresses not only the biblical motives, but also the symbolism of other religions, as well as elements of island beliefs. In sculpture, you can see the faces of people of all ages, from Adam and Eve to Yuri Gagarin. The crown of the whole composition is not in vain the heart of man as a symbol of life and feeling. The unknown worked on this creation for more than 50 years. Today, the sculpture is in Moscow, and it can be viewed by any person.

Monument to Khrushchev

An example of unexpected life turns can be considered a sculpture of Khrushchev. Ernst Unknown in the 1960s, after Khrushchev had blown up his creations, calling the work of Neizvestny "degenerative art", could not sell a single work. For 15 years he sold only 4 works, could not receive state orders, worked as a loader. Therefore, Khrushchev had an inexplicable negative attitude to the Unknown man. However, when after the death of Nikita Sergeyevich, his relatives asked to make a tombstone, the sculptor agreed. He created a composition that metaphorically conveyed the idea of struggle and unity of opposites, light and darkness. The work is on the grave of Khrushchev at the Novodevichy Cemetery.

Mask of Sorrow

Ernst Neizvestny, whose sculptures can be seen in the best museums in the world, often in his work addressed to the theme of lack of freedom of body and spirit. For several years he worked on a project of a monument to the victims of repression in the USSR, dubbed the "Mask of Death." In allegorical form, the artist conveys the idea of the hypocrisy of the Soviet political regime. He creates a symbol of the grief of wives and mothers who waited innocently condemned. Inside the monument, a copy of the prison cell was reconstructed, which you can climb up the iron staircase like a prison tower. The 15-meter monument is visible almost from anywhere in the city of Magadan - the secret capital of the camps of Soviet times.

Lotus flower

Describing the sculptures of Ernst Neizvestny, one can not help recalling the grandiose monument "Lotus Flower" in Egypt. The monument symbolized the Soviet-Arab friendship and was installed near the Aswan Dam. This grandiose 75-meter building was created by Neizvestny in collaboration with two architects, who later tried to understate the role of the sculptor in the work on the project. Anyway, it was sketches by Ernst Iosifovich that allowed a group of authors to win a competition for the creation of the monument. Today it is one of the ten highest monuments of the world. The whole inner surface of the flower is decorated with bas-reliefs according to the drawings of Ernst Neizvestny.

Heart of Christ

Ernst Neizvestny, whose sculptures are in the best collections in the world, was honored to create a work kept in the Vatican Museum. The sculpture "Heart of Christ" is a variation on the theme of the canonical crucifixion. The artist creates a complex composition, in the center of which there is a cross, but the figure of Christ is surrounded by a certain essence, symbolizing pain, fear, cry of man. The work was sought by Pope John Paul II, but the sculptor presented it to the priest, and now it decorates the Vatican Museum.

Awards and memories

Sculptures of Ernst Neizvestny are located in different parts of the world. In New York in the artist's studio collected a good collection of his works. An interesting collection is in the home of Ernst Iosifovich, in Yekaterinburg. Here are kept several sculptures and a lot of graphics. In the Swedish city of Uttersberg there is a museum with a small but good collection of works by the master. But the main works of the artist are on the streets of the cities of the world, some are located in the famous cemeteries.

During his life, Ernst Neizvestny received many awards and prizes abroad. The homeland also gave the artist its due. He was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, the Order of Honor, the State Prize of the Russian Federation.