The birthday of Alexander Pushkin: history of the famous monument to the poet

Turns 221 years since the birth of Alexander Pushkin. His contribution to the development of the Russian language is difficult to overestimate, and creativity has become the Golden Fund not only for domestic but also for world literature. 140 years ago on the day of the birth of Pushkin on Tverskoy Boulevard in Moscow was opened the first monument to the poet. The author was a former serf from Yaroslavl sculptor Alexander Opekushin.

once this house belonged to a certain merchant Ryabinin — though the building looked a little different. Later, brother Alexander Opekushin — Konstantin Opekushin — bought it and placed here stucco school. After a time, with the consent of the great sculptor it has received its name.

He was born in a peasant family in the Yaroslavl provinces, in 12 years he went to St. Petersburg, where he helped his father at the foundry. Even then, in his spare time young Sasha sculpts expressive figures and it does not go unnoticed. The father gives the boy in drawing classes, and the year before the abolition of serfdom, a gets his freedom.

five Hundred silver rubles gave the young man the freedom and opportunity to enter the Academy of arts. He manages to work by Mikhail Mikeshin, and then was the crucial contest for the best monument to the great Russian poet.

“in the words of Alexander, ten albums he drew on images of the poet, the night. How much was labor and how much envy from the colleagues!” — says the researcher of the Yaroslavl art Museum Lyubov Levina.

In a creative duel encounter the most famous and talented sculptors of the time. The jury was presented with several tens of monuments. To recreate the image of Pushkin in the bronze — not an easy task. Especially given the fact that the lifetime of the sculptural image of the poet has not survived — only one death mask of Gulbarga and a few sketches. But despite this, the model Opekushin, depicting a pensive figure PUskin, its simplicity captured the hearts of the public.

“the Solemn events on the occasion of the opening of the monument took place for three days. Children were invited poet they were still alive, was invited by the students, famous writers. Uttered his speech, Turgenev, Ostrovsky, Dostoevsky,” says Lyubov Levina.

Later will be executed several equally outstanding work, and for life a a about a hundred. But the monument to Pushkin, which is almost the hallmark of the capital, will forever remain one of the most striking of his works — so much so that her fame would Eclipse even the author himself.

the Last years of his life, Alexander was forced to wander, all accounts of the sculptor were frozen, money for the maintenance of apartment in St. Petersburg, was gone. The name of academician was forgotten. The reason for this was dozens of monuments to the emperors after the revolution, they ruthlessly demolished.

Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin was erected myself a monument not made by hand. Alexander Opekushin was able to bring it to life, thus forever immortalized not only about the great poet, but also about yourself.