Vera Ignatievna Mukhina (1889-1953) - Russian (Soviet) sculptor. People's Artist of the USSR (1943). Active member of the Academy of Arts of the USSR (1947). Winner of five Stalin Prizes (1941, 1943, 1946, 1951, 1952). From 1947 to 1953 he was a member of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Arts.
Vera Mukhina was born on July 1 in Riga in the family of a Russian merchant. Her mother died of tuberculosis, and the family moved to a family estate near Mogilev, and then to Feodosia. The father was afraid that his daughters might get sick with the same disease that killed his wife. However, another grief awaited the family. My father owned an oil mill and the one who invented machines for him went bankrupt and died. Since 1903, Vera and her older sister Maria lived with wealthy uncles in Kursk. Vera studied diligently, played the piano, drew and wrote poetry. The uncles spared no expense to bring up smart and sympathetic nieces. They visited Berlin, Tyrol, Dresden. They dressed fashionably, went to balls. Soon the sisters left Kursk and went to Moscow. Vera studied in the sculptural workshop of Sinitsyna, in the painting studio of Yuon and Dudin. Vera Mukhina was captivated by the work of Paolo Trubetskoy, who had just moved to Moscow. Now Vera's dream was to go abroad. Alas, neither she nor her sister had the money to do so.
Vera spent the winter of 1912 at the Kochany estate. She was riding a sleigh and suddenly crashed into a tree. The girl bled her face. She had several plastic surgeries in the hospital. She was in more than just physical pain. The wounds gradually healed, and relatives offered money for a trip to Paris. Now Vera was not thinking about her face, she was thinking about who would be her teacher. Her choice fell on Bourdelle. Every morning she went to sculpt to him. Every evening she painted at Colarossi's. Vera still managed to go to exhibitions, concerts, lectures of cubists. She lived in Paris at Madame Jean's boarding house. In 1914, Vera managed to visit Italy. She fell in love with the work of Michelangelo for life. The First World War began and Vera went to work as a nurse upon her return to Russia. Until the last days of her life, she wounded the most precious thing she had - letters from Alexander Vertepov. He also studied with Bourdelle, was incredibly talented. He went to the front and died in one of the battles. In the power of grief, Vera began to work on the sculpture "Pieta". Prior to this, Vera sculpted portraits of her sister and Vertepov. Alas, “Pieta” has not reached our days. It was a composition where the dead warrior mourns his bride. Vera asked the neighbors to water the sculpture from time to time so that it would not dry out, but the neighbors overdid it, and the composition was hopelessly damaged.
Vera Mukhina fell in love again. She met the young doctor Alexei Zamkov in 1914, just before he left for the front. Two years later he returned home with typhoid fever. Alexei managed to overcome the disease, and soon he and Vera got married. After the revolution, almost all friends and relatives emigrated. Vera's sister married a Frenchman and also left. Their grandfather's capital would have allowed Vera to live comfortably abroad. However, Vera and Alexei remained in Russia. In 1920 their son Vsevolod was born. The family had to go through a lot. At first, Vera did not have a suitable workshop, Vera participated in all sorts of competitions to be noted. Then Vera's best friend died, and a little later Vsevolod hurt himself when he jumped from the embankment. His mother nursed him for four years. First he was put in plaster, then he was in a wheelchair, and then on crutches. Things improved a bit in the 1930s. Vera created and taught at the Higher Artistic and Technical Institute. However, the persecution of her husband began. Alexey suggested using a device that increases vitality. They did not understand him and accused him of everything that was possible. The family had to move to Voronezh. There, Vera created beautiful sculptural portraits of her husband, his brother and son.
In 1934, at the International Exhibition in Venice, her sculpture "Peasant Woman" was exhibited, which was created in 1927. After the Second World War, the bronze casting of The Peasant Woman became the property of the Vatican Museum in Rome, and Mukhina made the second casting of this sculpture for the Tretyakov Gallery. World fame came to Vera in 1937. In Paris, she created her famous "Worker and Collective Farm Girl". Vera was assisted in the creation of the project by engineers, workers, and sculptors. Few people know that the "Worker and Collective Farm Girl" from the All-Russian Exhibition Center is the second copy of the sculpture, since the first one was damaged on the way from Paris. During the Second World War, Vera Mukhina kept working. She completed portraits of Russian ballerinas - and Maria Semyonova. In 1948, she designed vases and made portraits in glass. Vera created several monuments. Vera Mukhina passed away on October 6, 1953. She, who loved balls and beautiful dresses so much in her youth, said at the end of her life: “Costumes become obsolete, but images never do.”
Vera Mukhina, who became famous for the project of the sculptural group "Worker and Collective Farm Girl" in 1937, made a great contribution to monumental propaganda. In addition, the woman has other popular works that brought her many prizes and awards.
Vera Mukhina in the workshop
Vera was born in the summer of 1889 in Riga, which at that time was part of the Livonian province of the Russian Empire. The girl's father, Ignaty Kuzmich, was a well-known philanthropist and businessman, her family belonged to the merchant class.
When Vera was 2 years old, her mother dies of tuberculosis. The father loved his daughter and was afraid for her health, so he moved to Feodosia, where she lived until 1904. There, the future sculptor received her first lessons in painting and drawing.
In 1904, Vera's father also dies, so the girl and her older sister are transported to Kursk. There lived relatives of the family, who sheltered two orphans. They, too, were wealthy people and spared no expense, hired governesses for sisters, sent them to travel to Dresden, Tyrol and Berlin.
In Kursk, Mukhina went to school. After graduating from high school with honors, she moved to Moscow. The guardians planned to find a groom for the girl, although this was not part of the plans of Vera herself. She dreamed of mastering the fine arts and someday moving to Paris. In the meantime, the future sculptor began to study painting in art studios in Moscow.
Sculpture and creativity
Later, the girl went to the capital of France and there she realized that she was called to become a sculptor. Mukhina's first mentor in this area was Emile Antoine Bourdelle, a student of the legendary Auguste Rodin. She also traveled to Italy, studied the works of famous artists of the Renaissance period. In 1914 Mukhina returned to Moscow.
After the completion of the October Revolution, he developed a plan for the creation of city monuments and attracted young specialists for this. In 1918, Mukhina received an order to create a monument. The girl made a clay model and sent it for approval to the People's Commissariat of Education of the RSFSR. Vera's work was appreciated, but she never managed to finish it. Since the model was stored in a cold room in the workshop, the clay soon cracked and the work was spoiled.
Also, as part of the “Lenin Plan for Monumental Propaganda”, Mukhina created sketches for monuments to V. M. Zagorsky and the sculpture “Revolution” and “Liberated Labor”. In her youth, the character of the girl did not allow her to stop halfway, Vera carefully worked out each of her works, took into account even the smallest elements and always exceeded the expectations of others. So in the biography of a woman, the first significant works in her career appeared.
Vera's creativity was manifested not only in sculpture. In 1925, she created a collection of elegant clothes. For tailoring, she chose cheap rough materials, including coarse calico, weaving cloth and canvas, buttons were turned from wood, and hats from matting. There were no decorations either. For decoration, the sculptor came up with an original ornament, called the “rooster pattern”. With the created collection, the woman went to an exhibition in Paris. She presented clothes together with fashion designer N.P. Lamanova and received the main prize at the competition.
In the period from 1926 to 1930, Mukhina taught at the Higher Artistic and Technical Institute and the Artistic and Industrial College.
A significant work in the professional career of a woman was the sculpture "Peasant Woman". The work is dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the "October", even the famous artist Ilya Mashkov spoke positively about her. At the exhibition, the monument took 1st place. And after the "Peasant Woman" was transported to the Venetian exhibition, the museum of the city of Trieste bought it. Today, this work complements the collection of the Vatican Museum in Rome.
Vera also made a significant contribution to the culture of the country with her work “Worker and Collective Farm Girl”. The figures of a man and a woman were installed in Paris in 1937 at the World Exhibition, and later they were transported to the author's homeland and installed at VDNKh. This monument has become a symbol of the new Moscow, the film studio "Mosfilm" used the image of the statue as an emblem.
Among other works of Vera Mukhina are monuments and. For several years, the woman worked on creating sculptures for the Moskvoretsky Bridge, but during her lifetime she managed to realize only one project - the composition "Bread". The remaining 5 monuments were created according to sketches after the death of Mukhina.
In the post-war years, Vera created a museum consisting of sculptural portraits. The gallery of the woman was replenished with images of N. Burdenko, B. Yusupov and I. Khizhnyak. Although there are no documents confirming Mukhina's attitude to the creation of the design of the famous faceted glass, many people attribute to her the authorship of this dish, which was widely used in canteens in the Soviet years.
Personal life
Vera met her first love in Paris. When the girl studied there the art of creating sculpture, she did not think about building a personal life, because she was focused on gaining knowledge. But you can't tell your heart.
The fugitive SR terrorist Alexander Vertepov became the chosen one of Mukhina. However, the couple did not last long, in 1914 the young people broke up. Vera went to visit relatives in Russia, and Alexander went to the front to fight. Living in Russia, a few years later the girl learned about the death of her lover, as well as about the beginning of the October Revolution.
Mukhina met her future husband during the Civil War. She worked as a nurse, helping to nurse the wounded. A young military doctor Alexei Zamkov worked with her. The young people fell in love and got married in 1918. The Internet even presents joint photos of the couple. At first, young people did not think about children. Together they had to go through the hungry post-war years, which only rallied the family and showed the true feelings of a man and a woman.
In marriage, Mukhina had a son, who was named Vsevolod. At the age of 4, the boy became very ill. After a leg injury, tuberculous inflammation formed in the wound. All the doctors visited by the parents refused to treat him, because the case was considered hopeless. But the father did not give up when there was no other way out, he himself operated on the child at home, which saved his son's life. When Vsevolod recovered, he unlearned and became a physicist, and later gave his parents grandchildren.
Zamkov's career went up sharply when he created the hormonal drug Gravidan, which became the world's first industrial medicine. However, only patients appreciated the development of the doctor, while this annoyed Soviet doctors. Around the same period, the commission ceased to approve all new sketches of Vera, the main motive was the "bourgeois origin of the author." Endless searches and interrogations soon brought the woman's husband to a heart attack, so the family decided to escape to Latvia.
Before reaching their destination, the family was intercepted and brought back. The fugitives are interrogated, and then exiled to Voronezh. Saved the position of the couple Maxim Gorky. The writer some time ago was treated by a man and improved his health thanks to Gravidan. The writer convinced that the country needed such a doctor, after which the family was returned to the capital and even allowed Zamkov to open his institute.
Death
Vera Mukhina died in the autumn of 1953, then she was 64 years old. The cause of death was her long-tormented angina pectoris.
The grave of the sculptor is located on the second section of the Novodevichy cemetery.
Works
- Monument "Worker and Collective Farm Girl" in Moscow
- Sculptures "Bread" and "Fertility" in Moscow
- Sculptures "Sea" in Moscow
- Monument to Maxim Gorky in Moscow
- Tombstones at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow
- Sculptural composition "Farkhad and Shirin" in Volgograd
- Monument to Maxim Gorky in Nizhny Novgorod
- Sculpture "Peace" in Volgograd
Soviet sculptor, People's Artist of the USSR (1943). Author of works: "The Flame of the Revolution" (1922-1923), "Worker and Collective Farm Woman" (1937), "Bread" (1939); monuments to A.M. Gorky (1938-1939), P.I. Tchaikovsky (1954).
Vera Ignatievna Mukhina
There were not too many of them - artists who survived the Stalinist terror, and each of these "lucky ones" is judged and judged a lot today, "grateful" descendants strive to distribute "earrings" to each. Vera Mukhina, the semi-official sculptor of the "Great Communist Era", who did a good job of creating a special mythology of socialism, is apparently still waiting for her fate. For now…
Nesterov M.V. - Portrait Faith Ignatievna Mukhina.
In Moscow, over the Prospekt Mira, crammed with cars, roaring with tension and choking with smoke, rises the colossus of the sculptural group "Worker and Collective Farm Girl". The symbol of the former country, the hammer and sickle, soared into the sky, a scarf was floating, tying the figures of “captive” sculptures, and below, at the pavilions of the former Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy, buyers of televisions, tape recorders, washing machines, mostly foreign “achievements” were bustling about. But the madness of this sculptural "dinosaur" does not seem to be something out of date in today's life. For some reason, this creation of Mukhina organically flowed from the absurdity of "that" time into the absurdity of "this"
Our heroine was incredibly lucky with her grandfather, Kuzma Ignatievich Mukhin. He was an excellent merchant and left his relatives a huge fortune, which made it possible to brighten up the not-too-happy childhood of Verochka's granddaughter. The girl lost her parents early, and only the wealth of her grandfather, and the decency of her uncles, allowed Vera and her older sister Maria not to recognize the material hardships of orphanhood.
Vera Mukhina grew up meek, well-behaved, sat quietly in the lessons, studied at the gymnasium approximately. She didn’t show any special talents, well, maybe she just sang well, occasionally composed poetry, and drew with pleasure. And which of the lovely provincial (Vera grew up in Kursk) young ladies with the right upbringing did not show such talents before marriage. When the time came, the Mukhina sisters became enviable brides - they did not shine with beauty, but they were cheerful, simple, and most importantly, with a dowry. They flirted with pleasure at balls, seducing artillery officers who were going crazy with boredom in a small town.
The sisters made the decision to move to Moscow almost by accident. They used to often visit relatives in the capital, but, having become older, they were finally able to appreciate that in Moscow there were more entertainment, better dressmakers, and more decent balls at the Ryabushinskys. Fortunately, the Mukhin sisters had plenty of money, why not change the provincial Kursk to the second capital?
In Moscow, the maturation of the personality and talent of the future sculptor began. It was wrong to think that, having not received proper upbringing and education, Vera changed as if by magic. Our heroine has always been distinguished by amazing self-discipline, ability to work, diligence and passion for reading, and for the most part she chose books that were serious, not girlish. This deeply hidden desire for self-improvement gradually began to manifest itself in a girl in Moscow. With such an ordinary appearance, she would look for a decent match for herself, and she is suddenly looking for a decent art studio. She would have to take care of her personal future, but she is preoccupied with the creative impulses of Surikov or Polenov, who were still actively working at that time.
Vera entered the studio of Konstantin Yuon, a famous landscape painter and a serious teacher, easily: there were no exams to pass - pay and study, but it was not easy to study. Her amateur, childish drawings in the workshop of a real painter did not stand up to criticism, and ambition drove Mukhina, the desire to excel every day riveted her to a sheet of paper. She literally worked like a hard laborer. Here, in Yuon's studio, Vera acquired her first artistic skills, but, most importantly, she had the first glimpses of her own creative individuality and her first passions.
She was not attracted to work on color, she devoted almost all her time to drawing, drawing lines and proportions, trying to bring out the almost primitive beauty of the human body. In her student works, the theme of admiration for strength, health, youth, and the simple clarity of mental health sounded brighter and brighter. For the beginning of the 20th century, such an artist’s thinking, against the background of the experiments of the surrealists and cubists, seemed too primitive.
Once the master set a composition on the theme of "dream". Mukhina drew a janitor who fell asleep at the gate. Yuon grimaced in displeasure: "There is no dream fantasy." Perhaps the restrained Vera's imagination was not enough, but she had an abundance of youthful enthusiasm, admiration for strength and courage, the desire to unravel the mystery of the plasticity of a living body.
Without leaving classes with Yuon, Mukhina began working in the workshop of the sculptor Sinitsyna. Vera felt an almost childish delight when she touched the clay, which made it possible to fully experience the mobility of human joints, the magnificent flight of movement, the harmony of volume.
Sinitsyna abstained from learning, and sometimes the understanding of truths had to be comprehended at the cost of great effort. Even the tools - and those were taken at random. Mukhina felt professionally helpless: "Something huge is conceived, but her hands cannot do it." In such cases, the Russian artist of the beginning of the century went to Paris. Mukhina was no exception. However, her guardians were afraid to let the girl go abroad alone.
Everything happened as in a banal Russian proverb: "There would be no happiness, but misfortune helped."
At the beginning of 1912, during a merry Christmas vacation, while riding a sleigh, Vera seriously injured her face. She underwent nine plastic surgeries, and when six months later she saw herself in the mirror, she fell into despair. I wanted to run and hide from people. Mukhina changed her apartment, and only great inner courage helped the girl to say to herself: we must live, live worse. But the guardians considered that Vera was cruelly offended by fate and, wanting to make up for the injustice of rock, let the girl go to Paris.
In the workshop of Bourdelle, Mukhina learned the secrets of sculpture. In the huge, hotly heated halls, the master moved from machine to machine, mercilessly criticizing his students. Faith got the most, the teacher did not spare anyone, including women's pride. Once Bourdelle, seeing Mukhin's sketch, remarked with sarcasm that the Russians sculpt rather "illusory than constructive." The girl broke the sketch in despair. How many times will she still have to destroy her own work, numb from her own failure.
During her stay in Paris, Vera lived in a boarding house on Rue Raspail, where Russians predominated. In the colony of fellow countrymen, Mukhina also met her first love - Alexander Vertepov, a man of an unusual, romantic fate. A terrorist who killed one of the generals, he was forced to flee Russia. In the workshop of Bourdelle, this young man, who had never picked up a pencil in his life, became the most talented student. The relationship between Vera and Vertepov was probably friendly and warm, but the aged Mukhina never dared to admit that she had more than friendly interest in Vertepov, although she did not part with his letters all her life, often remembered him and did not talk about anyone with such hidden sadness, as about a friend of his Parisian youth. Alexander Vertepov died in the First World War.
The last chord of Mukhina's studies abroad was a trip to the cities of Italy. The three of them with their friends crossed this fertile country, neglecting comfort, but how much happiness Neapolitan songs brought them, the flickering of a stone of classical sculpture and revels in roadside taverns. Once the travelers got so drunk that they fell asleep right on the side of the road. In the morning, when Mukhina woke up, she saw how a gallant Englishman, raising his cap, steps over her legs.
The return to Russia was overshadowed by the outbreak of war. Vera, having mastered the qualifications of a nurse, went to work in an evacuation hospital. Unaccustomed to it, it seemed not only difficult, but unbearable. “The wounded arrived there straight from the front. You tear off dirty, dried-up bandages - blood, pus. Rinse with peroxide. Lice,” and many years later she recalled with horror. In an ordinary hospital, where she soon asked, it was much easier. But despite the new profession, which she, by the way, did for free (fortunately, her grandfather gave her millions this opportunity), Mukhina continued to devote her free time to sculpture.
There is even a legend that once a young soldier was buried in the cemetery next to the hospital. And every morning, near the tombstone, made by a village craftsman, the mother of the murdered man appeared, grieving for her son. One evening, after artillery shelling, they saw that the statue was broken. It was said that Mukhina listened to this message in silence, sadly. And in the morning a new monument appeared on the grave, more beautiful than the previous one, and Vera Ignatyevna's hands were covered in abrasions. Of course, this is only a legend, but how much mercy, how much kindness is invested in the image of our heroine.
In the hospital, Mukhina also met her betrothed with the funny surname Zamkov. Subsequently, when Vera Ignatievna was asked what attracted her to her future husband, she answered in detail: “He has a very strong creative beginning. Internal monumentality. And at the same time a lot from the man. Inner rudeness with great spiritual subtlety. Besides, he was very handsome.”
Aleksey Andreevich Zamkov was indeed a very talented doctor, treated unconventionally, tried folk methods. Unlike his wife Vera Ignatievna, he was a sociable, cheerful, sociable person, but at the same time very responsible, with a heightened sense of duty. They say about such husbands: "With him she is like behind a stone wall." Vera Ignatievna was lucky in this sense. Alexey Andreevich invariably took part in all the problems of Mukhina.
The heyday of creativity of our heroine fell on the 1920-1930s. The works “Flame of Revolution”, “Julia”, “Peasant Woman” brought fame to Vera Ignatievna not only at home, but also in Europe.
One can argue about the degree of Mukhina's artistic talent, but it cannot be denied that she became a real "muse" of an entire era. Usually, they lament about this or that artist: they say, he was born at the wrong time, but in our case, one can only wonder how well the creative aspirations of Vera Ignatievna coincided with the needs and tastes of her contemporaries. The cult of physical strength and health in Mukhin's sculptures perfectly reproduced, and contributed to the creation of the mythology of Stalin's "falcons", "girls of beauties", "Stakhanovites" and "Pash Angelins".
About her famous "Peasant Woman" Mukhina said that this is "the goddess of fertility, the Russian Pomona." Indeed, - the legs of the column, above them heavily and at the same time easily, freely, a tightly knitted torso rises. “This one will give birth standing up and will not grunt,” said one of the spectators. Mighty shoulders adequately complete the block of the back, and above everything - an unexpectedly small, elegant for this powerful body - head. Well, why not an ideal builder of socialism - a meek, but full of health slave?
Europe in the 1920s was already infected with the bacillus of fascism, the bacillus of mass cult hysteria, so Mukhina's images were viewed there with interest and understanding. After the 19th International Exhibition in Venice, the Peasant Woman was bought by the Museum of Trieste.
But even more famous was brought to Vera Ignatievna by the famous composition, which became the symbol of the USSR - “Worker and Collective Farm Girl”. And it was also created in a symbolic year - 1937 - for the pavilion of the Soviet Union at an exhibition in Paris. The architect Iofan developed a project where the building was supposed to resemble a rushing ship, the prow of which, according to the classical custom, was supposed to be crowned with a statue. Rather, a sculptural group.
Our heroine won the competition, which was attended by four famous masters, for the best design of the monument. Sketches of drawings show how painfully the idea itself was born. Here is a running nude figure (initially, Mukhina fashioned a naked man - a mighty ancient god walked next to a modern woman - but on instructions from above the "god" had to dress up), in her hands she has something like an Olympic torch. Then another appears next to her, the movement slows down, becomes calmer ... The third option is a man and a woman holding hands: they themselves, and the sickle and hammer raised by them, are solemnly calm. Finally, the artist settled on a movement of impulse, enhanced by a rhythmic and clear gesture.
Unprecedented in the world of sculpture was Mukhina's decision to release most of the sculptural volumes through the air, flying horizontally. With such a scale, Vera Ignatievna had to calibrate each bend of the scarf for a long time, calculating each of its folds. It was decided to make the sculpture from steel, a material that, before Mukhina, was used only once in the world by Eiffel, who made the Statue of Liberty in America. But the Statue of Liberty has a very simple outline: it is a female figure in a wide toga, the folds of which lie on a pedestal. Mukhina, on the other hand, had to create the most complex, hitherto unseen structure.
They worked, as was customary under socialism, in a rush, storm, seven days a week, in record time. Mukhina later said that one of the engineers fell asleep at the drafting table from overwork, and in a dream he threw his hand on the steam heating and got burned, but the poor fellow did not wake up. When the welders fell off their feet, Mukhina and her two assistants began to cook themselves.
Finally, the sculpture was assembled. And immediately began to disassemble. 28 wagons of "Worker and Collective Farm Woman" went to Paris, the composition was cut into 65 pieces. Eleven days later, in the Soviet pavilion at the International Exhibition, a giant sculptural group towered over the Seine, raising a hammer and sickle. Could this colossus have been overlooked? There was a lot of noise in the press. In an instant, the image created by Mukhina became a symbol of the socialist myth of the 20th century.
On the way back from Paris, the composition was damaged, and - just think - Moscow did not stint on recreating a new copy. Vera Ignatievna dreamed of the "Worker and Collective Farm Girl" soaring into the sky on the Lenin Hills, among the wide open spaces. But no one listened to her. The group was installed in front of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition (as it was then called) that opened in 1939. But the main trouble was that they put the sculpture on a relatively low, ten-meter pedestal. And she, designed for a great height, began to "crawl on the ground," as Mukhina wrote. Vera Ignatievna wrote letters to higher authorities, demanded, appealed to the Union of Artists, but everything turned out to be in vain. And so this giant still stands in the wrong place, not at the level of its greatness, living its own life, contrary to the will of its creator.
Original entry and comments on
The works of the sculptor Vera Ignatievna Mukhina are considered the embodiment of Soviet officialdom. She died at the age of 64 in 1953, the same year as Stalin. The era is gone, and so is its singer.
It is hard to imagine a person of art who captures the general line of the Communist Party better than the famous sculptor Vera Mukhina. But not everything is so primitive: it's just that her talent came at the right time. Yes, she is not one of those unfortunate creators who were ahead of their time and who were appreciated only by descendants. Her talent was to the taste of the leaders of the Soviet state. But the fate of Vera Ignatievna is rather the story of a miraculous survivor. Almost a fairy tale about a happy escape from Stalin's clutches. The horror of that time only slightly touched the wing of her family. But in the biography of the sculptor there were a number of such points, for each of which she could pay with her head. And they lost their lives for less! But Mukhina, as they say, carried away. Vera Ignatievna took his death hard. But even after being widowed, she continued to sing of "the most just society in the world" in her creations. Was this in line with her true beliefs? She didn't talk about them. Her speeches are endless talk about citizenship and Soviet patriotism. For the sculptor, the main thing was creativity, and in creativity - monumentalism. The Soviet government gave her complete freedom in this area.
Merchant's daughter
The social origin of Vera Ignatievna, by Stalin's standards, left much to be desired. Her father, an extremely wealthy merchant, traded in bread and hemp. Ignatius Mukhin, however, could hardly be compared with the world-eating merchants from the works of Ostrovsky. He was a completely enlightened man, in his tastes and passions gravitating more towards the nobility than towards his class. His wife died early from consumption. The youngest daughter, Vera, was not even two years old then. The father adored his girls - her and the elder Maria - and indulged their every whim. Somehow, however, he dared to say: they say, Masha is a lover of balls and entertainment, and Verochka is of a firm disposition, she can be delegated to business. But what's the matter ... My daughter never let go of the pencil from her hands - her father began to encourage her to draw ...
Shortly after Vera graduated from high school, the girls were orphaned. With the guardianship of the orphans, the matter did not become: from their native Riga, they moved to Moscow, to very wealthy uncles - their father's brothers. Relatives did not like Verino's passion for art. She studied in the workshop of Konstantin Yuon and dreamed of continuing her education in Paris. But relatives did not allow.
As they say, there was no happiness, but misfortune helped: somehow Vera fell from the sleigh and badly injured her face, breaking her nose.
The uncles decided to send the unfortunate niece to Paris for plastic surgery treatment in Russia, things were not in the best way. And there let the unfortunate orphan do whatever he wants.
In the capital, Mukhina steadfastly endured several plastic surgeries - her face was restored. It was there that the main turning point in her life took place: she chose sculpture. The monumental nature of Mukhina was disgusted by small touches, the selection of shades of color that are required from a draftsman and painter. She was attracted by large forms, the image of movement and impulses. Soon Vera became a student in the studio of Bourdelle, a student of the great sculptor Rodin. I must say, he was not particularly enthusiastic about her ...
Two unreliable
A visit to Russia to visit her relatives ended with Vera staying in her homeland forever: the 1914 war began. Mukhina resolutely abandoned the sculpture and enrolled in nursing courses. She spent the next four years in hospitals, helping the sick and wounded. In 1914, she met Dr. Alexei Zamkov. It was a gift of fate, which one could only dream of. A handsome, intelligent, talented doctor from God became the husband of Vera Ignatievna.
Both were of those who will soon be talked about - "walk on the blade." Zamkov participated in the Petrograd rebellion of 1917, and was also very interested in various non-traditional methods of treatment. Mukhina was a merchant, her sister married a foreigner and went to live in Europe. It was hard to imagine a more unreliable, from the point of view of the Soviet government, couple.
However, when Vera Ignatievna was asked why she fell in love with her husband, she answered: she was impressed by his "monumentality". This word will become a key word in her creative biography. The monumentality that she saw in many things and many around her will save the life of her and her husband.
Others - not his wife - noted Zamkov's extraordinary medical talent, his amazing medical intuition, his intelligence. Alexey Andreevich became one of the prototypes of Philip Philipovich Preobrazhensky, the hero of Bulgakov's story "Heart of a Dog".
Time passed. In 1920, the only son of Mukhina and Zamkov, Vsevolod, was born ...
Vera Ignatievna left nursing and returned to sculpture. She passionately responded to the call of the Soviet authorities to replace the monuments to the tsars and their henchmen with monuments to the heroes of the new era.
The sculptor has won competitions more than once: her chisel, for example, owns the monumental figures of Sverdlov and Gorky. The list of her most significant works speaks of Mukhina's loyalty to the ideals of communism: “Hymn to the International”, “Flame of the Revolution”, “Bread”, “Fertility”, “Peasant Woman”, “Worker and Collective Farm Girl”.
Meanwhile, Stalinism was growing, and the clouds over the family began to thicken.
Envious people, disguised as patriots of the Soviet state, accused Zamkov of "quackery" and charlatanism. The family tried to flee abroad, but in Kharkiv they were taken off the train. They got off extremely lightly: they were exiled to Voronezh for three years. A couple of years later, they were rescued from there by Maxim Gorky ...
In Moscow, Zamkov was allowed to return to work, and Vera Ignatievna became downright a locomotive for the family. The terrible year of 1937 became a triumphant one for her. After him, she became inviolable.
Stalin's favorite sculptor
Mukhina's sculpture "Worker and Collective Farm Woman" stood at VDNKh for a long time. Non-capital residents know it more as the emblem of the Mosfilm film studio. Vera Mukhina sculpted it in 1937 as a gigantic monument that was supposed to crown the Soviet pavilion at the world exhibition in Paris.
The installation of the multi-ton statue was, like many things in Stalin's time, in an emergency mode. Cooking steel "Worker and Collective Farm Girl" was difficult. But a special problem arose with the fluttering scarf of the collective farmer. Vera Ignatievna explained: a scarf is an important supporting detail of a sculpture. In addition, it gives it dynamism. Opponents argued: collective farmers do not wear scarves, this is too frivolous and inappropriate detail for such a "cloth". Mukhina did not want to deprive the Soviet peasant woman of such an ornament!
The case ended with the fact that the director of the factory where the statue was cast wrote a denunciation against Mukhina. He accused her that the contour of the scarf repeats the profile of Trotsky. Klyauznik hoped that the NKVD would remember her merchant background, her sister abroad, and her dubious husband.
On one of the working nights, Stalin himself arrived at the plant. He examined the scarf and did not see in it signs of the main enemy of the people. The sculptor was saved...
Parisian newspapers, in general, gave a low rating to the Soviet art presented at the exhibition. The French were impressed only by the work of Mukhina, above which was only the fascist eagle with a swastika that crowned the German pavilion.
The director of the Soviet pavilion was shot upon arrival at home. But Stalin did not touch Mukhina. He considered her art extremely realistic, thoroughly Soviet, and also important for the Soviet people. The poorly educated leader would have known how strongly the cubists and the French sculptor Aristide Maillol influenced Vera Ignatievna's work ...
Today they would say that Stalin was a "fanate" of Mukhina: from 1941 to 1952 she received five (!) Stalin Prizes. The head of state, however, was not a fan of her husband. Zamkov was hounded all the time, his merits were not recognized. He would have been arrested long ago if not for his successful wife. In 1942, Alexei Andreevich, unable to bear such a life, died.
Vera Ignatievna took his death hard. But even after being widowed, she continued to sing of "the most just society in the world" in her creations. Was this in line with her true beliefs? She didn't talk about them. Her speeches are endless talk about citizenship and Soviet patriotism. For the sculptor, the main thing was creativity, and in creativity - monumentalism. The Soviet government gave her complete freedom in this area.
Vera Ignatievna Mukhina
Vera Ignatievna Mukhina- a famous Soviet sculptor, winner of five Stalin Prizes, member of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Arts.
Biography
IN AND. Mukhina was born on 06/19/07/1889 in Riga, in the family of a wealthy merchant. After the death of her mother, Vera moved with her father and older sister Maria in 1892 to the Crimea, to Feodosia. Vera's mother died at the age of thirty from tuberculosis in Nice, where she was undergoing treatment. In Feodosia, unexpectedly for the Mukhin family, Vera woke up with a craving for painting. The father dreamed that the youngest daughter would continue his work, the character - stubborn, persistent - the girl went into him. God did not give him a son, and he did not count on his eldest daughter - only balls and entertainment were important for Mary. But Vera inherited a craving for art from her mother. Nadezhda Vilgelmovna Mukhina, nee Mude (she had French roots), could sing a little, write poetry and draw her favorite daughters in her album.
Vera received her first drawing and painting lessons from a drawing teacher at the gymnasium where she entered to study. Under his guidance, she copied Aivazovsky's paintings in a local art gallery. The girl did it with full dedication, getting great pleasure from work. But a happy childhood, where everything is predetermined and understandable, suddenly ended. In 1904, Mukhina's father died, and at the insistence of her guardians, her father's brothers, she and her sister moved to Kursk. There, Vera continued her studies at the gymnasium, graduating in 1906. The following year, Mukhina with her sister and uncles went to live in Moscow.
In the capital, Vera did her best to continue her study of painting. To begin with, she entered a private painting studio to Yuon Konstantin Fedorovich, took lessons from Dudin. Very soon, Vera realized that she was also interested in sculpture. This was facilitated by a visit to the studio of the self-taught sculptor N. A. Sinitsyna. Unfortunately, there were no teachers in the studio, everyone sculpted as best they could. It was attended by students of private art schools and students of the Stroganov School. In 1911, Mukhina became a student of the painter Ilya Ivanovich Mashkov. But most of all she wanted to go to Paris - to the capital-legislator of new artistic tastes. There she could continue her education in sculpture, which she lacked. The fact that she has this ability, Vera did not doubt. After all, the sculptor N. A. Andreev himself, who often looked into the workshop of Sinitsyna, repeatedly noted her work. He was known as the author of the monument to Gogol. Therefore, the girl listened to the opinion of Andreev. Only the guardian uncles were against the departure of the niece. An accident helped: Vera was visiting relatives on an estate near Smolensk, when she was driving down a mountain on a sled, she broke her nose. Local doctors helped. Uncle Vera was sent to Paris to recover. So, the dream came true, even at such a high price. In the capital of France, Mukhina underwent several nose jobs. Throughout her treatment, she took lessons at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière from the renowned French muralist E. A. Bourdelle, Rodin's former assistant, whose work she admired. The very atmosphere of the city - architecture, sculptural monuments - helped her to replenish her art education. In her free time, Vera visited theaters, museums, and art galleries. At the end of the treatment, Mukhina went on a trip to France and Italy, visited Nice, Menton, Genoa, Naples, Rome, Florence, Venice and others.
Vera Mukhina in a Parisian workshop
In the summer of 1914, Mukhina returned to Moscow for the wedding of her sister, who was marrying a foreigner and leaving for Budapest. Vera could have gone to Paris again to continue her studies, but the First World War began, and she chose to enroll in nursing courses. From 1915 to 1917 she worked in the hospital together with the Grand Duchesses of the Romanovs.
It was during this period that she met the love of her life. And again, the accident became decisive in the fate of Vera. Mukhina, full of energy and desire to help the wounded, unexpectedly in 1915 she herself fell seriously ill. Doctors discovered a blood disease in her, unfortunately, they were powerless, they claimed that the patient was not curable. Only the chief surgeon of the Southwestern ("Brusilovsky") Front, Alexei Zamkov, undertook to treat Mukhina and put her on her feet. Vera fell in love with him. The love turned out to be mutual. One day Mukhina will say: “Alexey has a very strong creative beginning. Internal monumentality. And at the same time a lot from the man. Outward rudeness with great spiritual subtlety. Besides, he was very handsome.” They lived in a civil marriage for almost two years, signed in 1918 on August 11, when the civil war was in full swing in the country. Despite the illness and employment in the hospital, Vera found time for creative work. She participated in the design of the performance "Famira Kifared" by I.F. Annensky and director A.Ya. Tairova at the Moscow Chamber Theatre, made sketches of scenery and costumes for the productions of "Nal and Damayanti", "Dinner of Jokes" by S. Benelli and "Rose and Cross" by A. Blok (not implemented) of the same theater.
The young family settled in Moscow, in a small apartment in the Mukhins' apartment building, which already belonged to the state. The family lived in poverty, starving, since Vera also lost all her money. But she was satisfied with her life, she devoted herself entirely to work. Mukhina actively participated in Lenin's plan for monumental propaganda. Her work was a monument to I.N. Novikov, a Russian public figure of the 18th century, publicist and publisher. She made it in two versions, one of them was approved by the People's Commissariat for Education. Unfortunately, none of the monuments survived.
Although Mukhina accepted the revolution, her family did not escape the troubles of the policy of the new state. Once, when Alexei went to Petrograd on business, he was arrested by the Cheka. He was lucky that Uritsky headed the Cheka, otherwise Vera Mukhina could have remained a widow. Before the revolution, Zamkov hid Uritsky from the secret police at home, now it's time for an old acquaintance to help him out. As a result, Alexei was released and changed his documents on the advice of Uritsky, now his origin was a peasant. But Zamkov was disappointed in the new government and was planning to emigrate, Vera did not support him - she had a job. A sculptural competition was announced in the country, she was going to participate in it. On the instructions of the competition, Vera worked on the projects of the monuments "Revolution" for Klin and "Emancipated Labor" for Moscow.
In the first post-revolutionary years, sculptural competitions were often held in the country, Vera Mukhina actively participated in them. Alexei had to come to terms with his wife's desire and stay in Russia. By that time, Vera had already become a happy mother; her son, Seva, was born on May 9, 1920. And again, misfortune came to the Mukhina family: in 1924, the son became very ill, the doctors discovered tuberculosis in him. The boy was examined by the best pediatricians in Moscow, but everyone just shrugged hopelessly. However, Alexey Zamkov could not accept such a verdict. So, as once Vera, he begins to treat his son himself. He takes a risk and performs surgery on him at home on the dining table. The operation was successful, after which Seva spent a year and a half in a cast and walked on crutches for a year. In the end, he recovered.
Vera has been torn between home and work all this time. In 1925, she proposed a new project for the monument to Ya. M. Sverdlov. Mukhina's next competitive work was the two-meter "Peasant Woman" for the 10th anniversary of October. And again trouble came to the Mukhina family. In 1927, her husband was expelled from the party and exiled to Voronezh. Vera could not follow him, she worked - she taught at an art school. Mukhina lived at a frantic pace - she worked fruitfully in Moscow and often went to her husband in Voronezh. But it couldn’t go on for so long, Vera couldn’t stand it, she moved to live with her husband. Only such an act did not go unnoticed for Mukhina, in 1930 she was arrested, but soon released, since Gorky stood up for her. During the two years that Vera spent in Voronezh, she designed the Palace of Culture.
Two years later, Zamkov was pardoned and allowed to return to Moscow.
Glory to Mukhina came in 1937, during the World Exhibition in Paris. The Soviet pavilion, which stood on the banks of the Seine, was crowned by Mukhina's sculpture "Worker and Collective Farm Woman". She made a splash. The idea of the sculpture belonged to the architect B.M. Iofan. Mukhina worked on this project with other sculptors, but her plaster sketch was the best. In 1938, this monument was erected at the entrance to VDNKh. In the thirties, Mukhina also worked on memorial sculpture. She especially succeeded in the tombstone of M.A. Peshkov (1934). Along with monumental sculpture, Mukhina worked on easel portraits. The heroes of her portrait sculpture gallery were Dr. A.A. Zamkov, architect S.A. Zamkov, ballerina M.T. Semenova and director A.P. Dovzhenko.
At the beginning of World War II, Mukhina and her family were evacuated to Sverdlovsk, but in 1942 she returned to Moscow. And then misfortune struck her again - her husband died of a heart attack. This misfortune happened on the very day when she was awarded the title of Honored Artist. During the war, Mukhina worked on the design of the play "Electra" by Sophocles at the Theater. Yevgeny Vakhtangov and on the project of the monument to the Defenders of Sevastopol. Unfortunately, it has not been implemented.
Vera Mukhina with her husband Alexei Zamkov
Sculpture
1915-1916- sculptural works: "Portrait of a Sister", "Portrait of V. A. Shamshina", monumental composition "Pieta".
1918- a monument to N.I. Novikov for Moscow according to the Leninist plan of monumental propaganda (the monument was not realized).
1919- monuments "Revolution" for Klin, "Emancipated Labor", V.M. Zagorsky and Ya.M. Sverdlov ("Flame of the Revolution") for Moscow (not implemented).
1924- a monument to A.N. Ostrovsky for Moscow.
1926-1927- sculptures "Wind", "Female torso" (wood).
1927- the statue "Peasant Woman" for the 10th anniversary of October.
1930- sculptures "Portrait of a grandfather", "Portrait of A.A. Zamkov". The project of the monument to T.G. Shevchenko for Kharkov,
1933- project of the monument "Fountain of Nationalities" for Moscow.
1934- "Portrait of S.A. Zamkov", "Portrait of a son", "Portrait of Matryona Levina" (marble), tombstones of M.A. Peshkov and L.V. Sobinov.
1936- a project of sculptural decoration of the USSR pavilion at the International Exhibition in Paris in 1937.
Sculpture Mukhina "Worker and Collective Farm Girl"
1937- Installation of the sculpture "Worker and Collective Farm Woman" in Paris.
1938- a monument to "Saving the Chelyuskinites" (not implemented), sketches of monumental and decorative compositions for the new Moskvoretsky Bridge.
1938- monuments to A.M. Gorky for Moscow and Gorky, (installed in 1952 on May Day Square in Gorky, architects P.P. Shteller, V.I. Lebedev). Sculptural decoration of the Soviet pavilion at the 1939 International Exhibition in New York.
Late 30s- According to the sketches of Mukhina and with her participation, the "Kremlin Service" (crystal), vases "Lotus", "Bell", "Astra", "Turnip" (crystal and glass) were made in Leningrad. The project of the monument to F.E. Dzerzhinsky for Moscow. 1942 - "Portrait of B.A. Yusupov", "Portrait of I.L. Khizhnyak", sculptural head "Partisan".
1945- project of the monument to P.I. Tchaikovsky for Moscow (installed in 1954 in front of the building of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory). Portraits of A.N. Krylova, E.A. Mravinsky, F.M. Ermler and H. Johnson.
1948- a project of a monument to Yuri Dolgoruky for Moscow, a glass portrait of N.N. Kachalova, porcelain composition "Yuri Dolgoruky" and "S.G. Koren in the role of Mercutio"
1949-1951- together with N.G. Zelenskaya and Z.G. Ivanova, a monument to A.M. Gorky in Moscow according to the project of I.D. Shadra (architect 3.M. Rosenfeld). In 1951, it was installed on the square of the Belorussky railway station.
1953– project of the sculptural composition "Mir" for the planetarium in Stalingrad (installed in 1953, sculptors S.V. Kruglov, A.M. Sergeev and I.S. Efimov).
