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Monument to A. S. Pushkin (Moscow)

Pushkinskaya Square, Moscow, Metro stations: "Pushkinskaya", "Tverskaya", "Chekhovskaya".

The opening of the monument to Alexander Pushkin on the 6th of June, 1880 was considered as a "rebirth" of the poet. It was one of the most important social events in Russia at the end of the 19th century: celebration of Russian culture and Russian intellectuals. The event became a significant stage in the history of Pushkin's legacy and beginning of the tradition of studding and veneration of the genius.

The monument creation has a long history. The idea to install the monument in the memory of Alexander Pushkin came directly after his death in 1837. However, at that time even a thought of monument creation in memory of a poet seemed to be unreal, as such kind of honour was a privilege of public officials only. From the point of view of the government, Pushkin was far from being a perfect citizen of its country.

The teacher and one of the closest friends of Pushkin, Vasily Zhukovsky, hinted to Nicholas I that it would be a good idea to honour the memory of the poet. After that the subject of creation a "national monument" in the Mikhailovskoye Manor, which Pushkin had enjoyed visiting during his life, was seriously considered for some time.

In 1855, 82 officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a member of which Pushkin was once, initiated the creation of the monument. They appealed to Grand Duke Gorchakov with request to launch all around Russia a funds collecting campaign for construction of the monument in St. Petersburg. However, their highness feared to involve himself in such a sensitive case. In 1860, lyceum graduates, who studied with Pushkin and later, sent a new petition. Taking into account public opinion, the government allowed the construction of the monument without providing a penny. The campaign was announced. It finished by collection of 13,000 roubles.

In 1870, Yakov Grot, the lyceum graduate, initiated a new fund collection campaign.

By the year of 1880, 160,575 roubles and 10 kopecks were collected.

After the funds collection campaign was ended, it was decided to invite tenders to design the monument. In May 1875, Alexander Opekushin, a talented sculptor and sun of a serf, was awarded the first prize.

While working on the design of the monument, Opekushin filled entire ten sketchbooks with pictures of Pushkin's figure in different poses. In addition, the sculptor created 30 clay and plasticine models. However, the final version represented his very first vision of the monument: the poet plunged in his thoughts, as if he was thinking over his new masterpiece.

After three years of creative search, intense and exhausting participation in three competitions Opekushin had less intensive, but still very responsible and hard task — creation of a full-size plaster model. The bronze statue was casted at the bronze-casting foundry in St-Petersburg. The casting of the statue and manufacturing of the granite pedestal took five years more.

The height of the monument including the statue is eleven metres. Art historians are emphasizing the perfect balance found by the sculptor and the architect, thanks to which the statue, observed from different points, looks proportionately to a human figure. The entire composition of the monument is perfectly refined: elegant stairs leading to the base; 18 low granite pedestals crowned with bronze wreaths and chained with garlands of casted laurels surround the monument. Four cast-iron lampposts placed around the monument became one of the symbols of Moscow.

On the sides of the plinth, few lines of the famous Pushkin's poem "Monument" are graved:
I shall not wholly die. In my sacred lyre
My soul shall outlive my dust and escape corruption —
And I shall be famed so long as underneath
The moon a single poet remains alive.
I shall be noised abroad through all great Russia,
Her innumerable tongues shall speak my name:
The tongue of the Slavs' proud grandson, the Finn, and now
The wild Tungus and Kalmyk, the steppes' friend.

Opekushin presented Pushkin wearing a long frock coat and a large cloak above. Following the traditions of Russian and world classic sculpture, Opekushin has managed to achieve a great expressiveness of the statue. "Movement and posture of the figure are natural and inflated with spirit of honour and poetical inspiration". The head of the statue is sculptured expressively; its slight tilt gives the monument architectural integrity.

The statue created by Opekushin could be merely an ordinary piece of art if it embodied only physical features of Pushkin. The sculptor has managed to show more — a great man and a talented poet.

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Monument to A. S. Pushkin



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