The rotunda and sculpture “Graduates of 1941” were delivered to Kuznetsov Boulevard in Sergiev Posad.

TVR24 story about how work on the sculpture progressed.

A TVER SCULPTOR CREATES AN IMAGE OF 1941 GRADUATES FOR SERGIEV POSAD

“When dismantling monuments, do not touch the pedestals. They may still be useful." The statement of the Polish philosopher and writer Stanislaw Jerzy Lec is relevant for today's Sergiev Posad.

On Kuznetsov Boulevard, a stele erected in July last year and dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the counter-offensive of Soviet troops near Moscow was dismantled. The composition caused a lot of controversy and became the cause of repeated public discussions. The orange stele will now be moved to the entrance to the Fermat microdistrict.

The place of the dismantled stele will be taken by a more substantial monument. His project has already undergone public discussion. A memorial complex called “Tomorrow There Was War” will appear on Kuznetsov Boulevard.

A rotunda will be installed in the center. In it there is a sculptural dancing couple, graduates of 1941. Around the sculpture are the compositions “Seeing off to the front”, “Children of War”. Next - perpetuating the memory of the fallen residents of Gorki, Heroes Soviet Union, fighters of the 1st Shock Army. The entire voluminous complex on Kuznetsov Boulevard is planned to be completed by 2020 - the year of the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

The first element is dancing couple in the rotunda - will be installed in two weeks, on June 24. It is sculpted by the sculptor, chairman of the Tver branch of the Union of Artists of Russia Evgeny Antonov and his assistants in a workshop in the city of Smolensk.

In his Tver workshop, the sculptor, according to him, would not have had time to complete the project on time.

“It all starts with boiling the frame to hold the clay, then the actual modeling in clay begins. There is a sketch, the author’s idea is in his head, so the work is a matter of time and skill,” -
Evgeny Antonov, sculptor.

From a clay model of the future monument in life size remove plaster forms. The next stage of work is to melt wax into the molds. Then it’s up to the foundry workers to fill the wax molds with bronze.
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Alexander Terekhin defended the monument “Tomorrow there was a war”

“I really liked the idea from the very beginning, it was fresh, no one had yet addressed the topic of the beginning of the war at a time when young men and women celebrated their prom. This is a touching process, everyone remembers their prom,” -
Evgeny Antonov, sculptor.

According to the project, the initial diameter of the rotunda was 18 meters. It had to be reduced by one and a half times, to twelve, for the harmony of the sculptural composition.

The symbolism of the sculpture - the shadow of war is already hanging over the dancing couple.

“For me, creating the composition was the most difficult thing, because there are practically no analogues. There are dancing couples, but they are not very professional. And this difference in states - a reserved young man and his active, having fun girlfriend - creates a contrast,”
Evgeny Antonov, sculptor.

The costs of creating a new memorial complex on Kuznetsov Boulevard were covered by Sergiev Posad businessman Alexander Terekhin, and he received approval from the authorities.

“This is a philanthropic project. A year ago, I saw information in the press that there were plans to stage this dancing couple of 1941 graduates here. I decided to take part in this project. But they told me that there was no money for this in the budget yet, and I decided to do it with people’s money, without taking a penny from the budget,” -
Alexander Terekhin, entrepreneur.

According to the sculptor, the production of the monument should be done within one day. And bring it to Sergiev Posad on Kuznetsov Boulevard, as they say, still warm. The opening of the composition is scheduled for June 24 and is timed to coincide with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

On June 28, a monument to graduates of 1941 was unveiled in the center of Sergiev Posad. On the pedestal there is a young man and a girl, holding hands, dancing a waltz, and “tomorrow there was war.” The beautiful and touching scene outraged the city community: according to many passers-by, the bronze graduate’s breasts were depicted too openly and her nipples protruded provocatively.

It’s interesting that in Tver, exactly the same breast, made by the same sculptor, has been “sticking out” from a weaver on the “Treaty of Thousands” monument since 1981.

The idea to create a monument to the graduates of 1941 came from a resident of the city of Sergiev Posad, the head of a large construction holding, Alexander Vladimirovich Terekhin. He turned to the Tver sculptor, chairman of the Union of Artists of the Tver Region Evgeniy Antonov, who had to implement it in three months.

- I had very tight deadlines; I had to get the work done in time for graduation. The author of the idea initially had an idea - to make it a tradition to meet graduates at the monument to graduates of 1941,- said Evgeny Antonov.

The plot of this bronze scene is that a young man and a girl received their matriculation certificate today, they dance a waltz and rejoice at the new stage of their life, not knowing that tomorrow a war will begin for them.

- The idea captivated me with its novelty, and I got down to business with pleasure. On June 28, a monument to graduates was unveiled; in the future, an Alley of Heroes will be created behind it - yesterday’s graduates went to war and became heroes - this is the author’s idea.

Evgeny Antonov is extremely surprised by the reaction of some residents of Sergiev Posad, who believe that the schoolgirl is dressed vulgarly.

-I’ve already lost count of how many monuments I’ve created, but my work has never had such a buzz and such popularity—admittedly, unhealthy popularity. It is interesting that the graduate was created in the image and likeness of the young weaver on the Tver monument to the working class “Treaty of Thousands”, which was installed in the Proletarsky district of Tver in 1981: the same revelation of a young body, the same fluttering folds. Then in Soviet time, no one had any thoughts about the vulgarity of the outfit. Why there is so much noise now, I don’t know.

According to the artist, a girl’s breasts are a symbol of youth and purity, and there is no sexual connotation in this monument.

Evgeniy Antonov is a famous Tver sculptor, the author of many Tver monuments: to the liquidators of the Chernobyl disaster on Smolensky Lane, to the submariners on the Afanasy Nikitin embankment, to the legendary crew of Stepan Gorobets and to the working class “Treaty of Thousands” in the Proletarsky District, he designed Glory Square,.

TIA visited the “Treaty of Thousands” monument. Indeed, the young weaver has the same breasts as the bronze graduate in Sergiev Posad. The monument has stood for more than 30 years, passed strict Soviet censorship and has still not caused any stir. While in Sergiev Posad, student bronze breasts led to a serious scandal. They say about a girl on social networks and forums that she dances “with bare tits around a concentrated log” - her dance partner is called a log. Many major federal media outlets have made stories about the monument; the monument is called erotic, and the scandal is called sexual. When discussing this “disgrace,” many note that this bare chest was sculpted not just by a sculptor, but by an Orthodox priest. After all, Evgeny Antonov has been serving in the Tver Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Vlasevo for 20 years. The sculptor Evgeny Antonov himself, when meeting with film crew Tia said: “I’m so tired of your brother.”

TIA asked Tver residents what they thought about the Tver monument “Treaty of Thousands” and whether they considered the weaver’s breasts to be overly revealing. It is interesting that opinions were divided, with women expressing the opinion that the weaver should have been dressed more decently.

- Children pay attention and ask why the woman bare chested. I think that the worker’s outfit is vulgar, but in general, I’ve lived in the Proletarsky district for many years, I’m already used to it, - said the Tverite woman.

The men, answering a question from a TIA correspondent, did not see anything sexual, much less vulgar, in the monument.

-In my opinion, the woman is dressed normally, I don’t see anything vulgar. Judging by the films of that time, this is exactly how women dressed then,- remarked the young man.

An elderly Tverite supported him,

- An excellent monument, and the women are dressed correctly, as they should, - he said.

Photo of the monument to graduates of 1941: group

After June 22, residents of Sergiev Posad near Moscow are drawn to Kuznetsov Boulevard as if by a magnet. But not to the promenade, but to gaze at the new monument to the graduates of 1941 - a dancing couple of yesterday's schoolchildren. Gawk and... be indignant. They photograph the monument from all angles, walking around the rotunda that is being mounted, and argue, argue, argue... “Naked tits on a sculpture of the war years!” exclaims one of the residents, pointing her finger at the chest area of ​​the bronze graduate. “An aunt galloping around a concentrated log. This is somehow not how I imagined a waltz,” her friend notes skeptically.

Indeed, there are many questions about the sculptural pair. If you look at the girl from behind, you can see that she is wearing a dress. And if from the front, then only the skirt remains visible on the figure. Neither the sleeves nor the collar are outlined - only clearly visible breasts are exposed to the public.

A wave of popular indignation reached the mayors and one piquant detail became clear. The author of the sculpture is the priest of the church in honor of the Kazan Icon Mother of God in the village of Vlasyevo, Tver region, Evgeny Antonov. And part-time, Antonov is the chairman of the Tver branch of the Union of Artists of Russia.

Sculptural composition dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the counter-offensive of Soviet troops near Moscow. The monument depicts a young couple merging in a waltz and symbolizes the prom on June 22, 1941. The very idea of ​​​​creating a monument is unique - no one has yet addressed the topic of the beginning of the war at a time when young men and women celebrated their graduation ceremony, the local administration explained to us.

This is an allegory of youth and freshness,” Father Evgeniy readily shared his concept. - There are clothes on the figures. It’s just that details are visible through it that cannot be denied. How you can't deny human physiology. Female forms outlined by me deliberately, since the girl symbolizes life, peace, happiness. But the young man has a premonition of war - his figure is tense and his gaze is sad. It is obvious that he will volunteer and perhaps die, for example, near Vyazma, where, as you know, 5 armies were killed, and it was the volunteers who were thrown to the front line to block the enemy’s path. Essentially, these are two children who became adults in one day. The idea of ​​the monument has a very tragic meaning.

Indecency can be found in everything if desired, even in an apple. However, it would be strange to admit that the majority of Posad residents have a sick imagination. On the one hand, no one is outraged by the naked Atlanteans of the Catherine Palace, Apollo or Venus de Milo. After all, such a sculpture is a hymn to divine beauty and human living forms. But at the same time in contemporary art the same worker and collective farmer are depicted without pornographic excesses. In a word, for this type of art the most pressing question is relevance. Therefore, for an expert opinion, we turned to famous sculptor Alexander Rozhnikov.

“I am ready to congratulate Father Evgeniy on his creative success,” concluded his eminent colleague. - This sculpture clearly reveals the image of youth: the girl leaned back beautifully in the dance, the guy holds his back straight. I would even say that this is a chaste composition. As for the anatomical details, a 17-year-old girl should have high breasts. The sculptor did not create asexual creatures. And the moment of convexity does not dominate. So - stylized tubercles... So I personally have no doubts about the quality of the found image. The composition is good. True, the stern faces of the dancers initially confused them, psychological condition. But it’s not for nothing that this sculpture is called “Tomorrow there was a war.” The very idea creates tension.

Honorary citizen of Sergiev Posad Alexander Terekhin erected a monument on Kuznetsov Boulevard with the permission of the local administration; he also submitted a previously prepared sketch of the sculpture to officials for approval. The sculptor and artist Evgeny Antonov began to implement his idea. He built this composition in three months. For his work, he received four million rubles from the businessman, Life.ru reports with reference to the Mash Telegram channel.

ON THIS TOPIC

The opening ceremony of the monument took place on June 27, 2017. The sculptural composition is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the counter-offensive of Soviet troops near Moscow. The monument is a statue of a couple from the class of 1941 dancing a waltz.

It is noteworthy that many city residents were dissatisfied with the monument. The townspeople saw in the sculpture of the girl the overly emphasized shape of her body. Some of them even came to the conclusion that the sculptor sculpted the graduate without outer clothing, Moskovsky Komsomolets reports.

The creator of the sculpture, the priest of the church in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God "Kazan" Evgeniy Antonov responded to such criticism, saying that his creation is an allegory of youth and freshness. “You can still see everything through the clothes,” he explained. “I deliberately outlined the female forms, since the girl symbolizes life, peace, and happiness. But the young man has a premonition of war: his figure is tense and his gaze is sad. The idea of ​​the monument has a very tragic meaning,” explained the author of the monument.

https://www.site/2017-06-29/v_podmoskove_svyachennik_sdelal_pamyatnik_vypusknikam_1941_goda_s_obnazhennoy_grudyu

"Allegory of Youth and Freshness"

In the Moscow region, a priest made a monument to graduates of 1941 with a bare chest

Andrey Madrasov/ Group “Kopeyka. Sergiev Posad. City News" on the social network "VKontakte"

In Sergiev Posad, a sculpture of a waltzing young man and girl was installed, dedicated to the graduates of 1941. Many residents of the city saw an erotic element in her - realistically depicted breasts are clearly visible through the girl’s dress, the publication Moskovsky Komsomolets said.

“The sculptural composition is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the counter-offensive of Soviet troops near Moscow. The monument depicts a young couple merging in a waltz and symbolizes the prom on June 22, 1941. The very idea of ​​​​creating a monument is unique - no one has yet addressed the topic of the beginning of the war at a time when young men and women celebrated their graduation party,” said the local administration.

The author of the sculpture is the priest of the church in honor of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God in the village of Vlasyevo, Tver region, Evgeny Antonov, who is also the chairman of the Tver branch of the Union of Artists of Russia. He calls his work “an allegory of youth and freshness.”

“There are clothes on the figures. It’s just that details are visible through it that cannot be denied. How you can't deny human physiology. I deliberately outlined the female forms, since the girl symbolizes life, peace, and happiness. But the young man has a premonition of war - his figure is tense, and his gaze is sad. It is obvious that he will volunteer and possibly die, for example, near Vyazma, where, as you know, five armies were killed and it was volunteers who were thrown to the front line to block the enemy’s path. Essentially, these are two children who became adults in one day. The idea of ​​the monument has a very tragic meaning,” Father Evgeniy explained his vision.