The Pushkin Monument in Moscow today is one of the prominent symbols of the Russian capital. He appeared in 1880, its author is Alexander Opekushin. The figure of the poet is made of bronze. It is interesting that initially it appeared on Strastnaya Square at the beginning of Tversky Boulevard, only in 1950 the monument was moved to the opposite side of the square.
Description of the monument
The Pushkin Monument in Moscow depicts the famous Russian poet in full growth. He is dressed in a frock coat over which a cloak is thrown. At the same time, his head is tilted in thought. The viewer has a feeling that Pushkin is thinking about his new work.
The pose of the poet is familiar from his many images. The right hand is laid over the side of the coat, and in the left, which is folded back, is a hat.
At the corners of the monument are four cast-iron lanterns, each of which has four lamps. Along the perimeter are 20 small pedestals, which are twined with bronze wreaths. Between themselves they are connected by a bronze chain.
Fundraising
Fundraising for the monument to Pushkin in Moscow on Tversky Boulevard began in 1860. The initiators were graduates of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, in which the Russian poet was educated. A subscription was announced to raise funds for the construction of the monument.
They collected 30,000 rubles, ten years later another subscription was announced, which was initiated by the lyceum student Yakov Grot. This time we managed to get more than 160 thousand rubles.
In 1875, an open competition was announced for the design of the monument to Pushkin. The first prize was awarded to the sculptor Opekushin. At the same time, the project changed several times, in particular, the shape of the pedestal was adjusted. Instead of two truncated cones, which were originally planned, a trapezoid on a rectangular prism was used.
History of creation
To help, Opekushin invited the architect Ivan Bogomolov. A special commission for the construction of the monument was also created, headed by the Prince of Oldenburg.
Another five years went into preparing the model of the statue. It was cast in bronze at the St. Petersburg plant, and the pedestal was made of dark red granite.
It was originally supposed that the monument would be opened in 1879, it was planned that this event would be timed to coincide with the anniversary of the beginning of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum.
Opening of the monument
But in time to open the monument failed. One of the corner monoliths located under the stairs turned out to be damaged. As a result, it was replaced by two others that had to be joined together. All this led to a significant delay.
The construction of the monument to Pushkin was completed only in the spring of 1880. But even after this, the discovery was postponed several times. At first they wanted to open on the poet's birthday - May 26, but the date was canceled due to mourning for Empress Maria Alexandrovna. Only on June 6, to the jubilation of Muscovites who gathered, despite the cloudy weather, the monument to Pushkin in Moscow was inaugurated.
On the same day, a solemn meeting dedicated to this event was held at Moscow University. Klyuchevsky and Tikhonravov made reports on the poet’s place in Russian literature. Over the next three days, celebrations were held at the Noble Assembly, with Dostoevsky, Turgenev and Aksakov as participants.
The Pushkin Monument in Moscow, the photo of which is in this article, was originally installed facing the Holy Monastery. Only in 1950 he was moved to a new place, but in the same place on Strastnaya Square, which by that time had been renamed Pushkinskaya. It was set instead of the demolished monastery bell tower, unfolding exactly 180 degrees.
How to get there
From this article you will also find out where the monument to Pushkin is in Moscow. It is located in the Russian capital on Pushkin Square.
If you use public transport, it is easiest to take the metro to Tverskaya or Pushkinskaya stations. From there, the monument is at hand, it is the most noticeable object in the entire area. Buses Nos. 10, 101 and 904 go through the stop.
The author of the monument
The author of the monument to Pushkin in Moscow is the famous domestic sculptor Alexander Opekushin. He himself comes from the Yaroslavl province. As a child, he showed extraordinary abilities, so he ended up in the workshop of sculptors in St. Petersburg.
It is interesting that he was born a serf, therefore, in order to study at the Academy of Arts, he had to pay off. He received his freedom in 1859, when he was 21 years old, and two years later he got married.
The description of the monument to Pushkin in Moscow made by Opekushin was most liked by the commission that determined the author of the sculpture. This has become one of his most famous projects. Among them, one can also highlight a monument to Admiral Greig, which was opened in 1873, a monument to the poet Lermontov, who appeared in Pyatigorsk in 1889, to Alexander II in Czestochowa and Rybinsk.
Statues of Pushkin in other cities
It is noteworthy that Opekushin created several more monuments to Pushkin in other cities. For example, in St. Petersburg, the grand opening took place in 1884, and a year later in Chisinau. Both were made of bronze and granite.
In 1913, a statue of Pushkin was installed in Ostafyevo, and the author was also Opekushin.
It is worth noting that the sculptor was a convinced Orthodox Christian and monarchist. His work was highly valued at court, he was patronized by emperors and grand dukes. Opekushin had a large family to adequately support her, he constantly worked on the manufacture of decorative sculptures that adorned many Moscow mansions. Some of them can be seen today.
Pedestal inscriptions
The inscriptions that adorn the pedestal of the Moscow monument to the poet deserve special attention. In particular, you can see the lines from his poem "Monument" on them.
An interesting and entertaining story is associated with this work. When it was published in the ninth volume of the posthumous publication, Zhukovsky, who served as the publisher and compiler, changed the text of the poem for censorship reasons. He replaced the dangerous, in his opinion, lines ("That in my cruel age I glorified Freedom" with more neutral ones "That I was useful with the charm of living poetry"). And also carried out cosmetic editing of the thirteenth line to save the rhyme in the text. As a result, one of these changes made by Zhukovsky fell on the pedestal of the monument to the poet. Obviously, the compilers of the text did not focus on lifetime editions, but on the posthumous collection on which Zhukovsky worked.
As a result, instead of the text written by Pushkin:
And for a long time I will be so kind to the people,
What kind feelings I aroused with lyre.
That in my cruel age I glorified Freedom
And he called mercy to the fallen.
The following lines appeared:
And for a long time I will be kind to the people,
That good feelings I woke with lyre,
With the charm of living verse I was useful
And mercy called the fallen
The text was replaced with the original in preparation for the celebration of the centenary of the poet's birthday. To do this, the old inscriptions were cut down and polished on top again. The contours of the letters were inflicted by a master named Bunegin and Makarov. The material around the letters was removed, so a semi-polished background of gray-light color appeared.
At the same time, the original font was preserved, but the spelling was replaced with the modern one, and the couplets with quatrains.
At the same time, the inscription that the monument was built in 1880 was preserved unchanged on the back of the pedestal.
Today, the monument to Pushkin is one of the most iconic and recognizable symbols of Moscow, without it it is already impossible to imagine this city. Near him often make appointments, hold meetings, and just spend time with pleasure walking around the picturesque surroundings.