Sergey Konenkov was born into a peasant family. His father was a Belorussian icon painter. His mother died when Sergei was four years old – he grew up in the house of his uncle, who early noticed his nephew’s abilities. He later wrote that his villagers “placed his pictures on the walls of their huts”. Forests of the Smolensk region always remained on his mind – as a child, he searched for the faces of fairy-tale creatures and heroes of a folk epic in roots and branches.
1874 - 1971
Sergey Konenkov
description
An outstanding Russian sculptor and graphic artist, who had earned the glory of “Russian Rodin” even before the revolution. Sergey Konenkov was a master of monumental compositions, portrait and plot genres, masterfully worked in wood, using folk carving techniques. As a portrait painter, he created a whole gallery of images of his contemporaries (F. Chaliapin, M. Gorky, S. Rachmaninov, A. Dovzhenko, K. Tsiolkovsky, V. Mayakovsky, S. Yesenin), compatriot writers (I. Turgenev, F. Dostoevsky, L. Tolstoy, Saltykov-Shchedrin). His outstanding monuments to A.S. Pushkin, V.I. Surikov and others are also known.
Sergey Timofeevich lived and worked in the United States of America for more than 20 years, mainly in New York. To order of the Princeton University Administration, in 1935, he created a bust of the great scientist Albert Einstein, with whom he was friends; later he created Einstein’s full-length sculpture.
During the war, the sculptor was an active member of the American Committee for Russian Assistance. In 1945, a ship was chartered for Konenkov and his works by order of Stalin.
The sculptor, who became a full member of the Academy of Arts in the pre-revolutionary 1916, after returning to his homeland, became an academician, People’s Artist of the USSR, Hero of Socialist Labor, and an honorary citizen of the city of Smolensk and laureate of state prizes.
The sculptures and drawings of the master are in the leading museums of Russia, in several museums and government agencies in the United States and other countries of the world. Works are constantly exhibited at the memorial Moscow House Museum “Creative Workshop of Konenkov”, and the Smolensk Museum of Sculpture opened at the insistence of the artist, who gave a large collection of works to his native city.
Key ideas:
– During his career, Konenkov combined his passion for folk wood carvings with folklore images, the work of Michelangelo with his expression, antiquity and modern art.
– While working on fairy-tale characters he knew from childhood, such as a woodsman or Stribog, Konenkov created large handicrafts, combined folk art techniques with professional wood processing methods. Sometimes he used such unusual and unconventional elements as inlaid wood with coloured stones.
– One of the claims of the academic jury to the work of Konenkov was “violation of proportions”. The master himself believed that the spiritual realism and emotionality of the sculptures was much more important than the exact adherence to anatomy and mathematical calculations.
– Inspired by the changes in society, the sculptor supported the plan of “monumental propaganda”, searched for new forms in bas-reliefs and monuments. However, monumental sculpture did not become the main focus of his work.
– Konenkov was one of the first among Russian sculptors who created a non-classical image of a female nude. It was innovative that these works (Firebird, Winged) were often made according to the traditions of Russian folk art.
– Less well-known, but no less perfect are drawings by Konenkov. The American period of his creativity, for example, includes magnificent graphics associated with reflection on the Bible and the theme of the Apocalypse. The artist depicted prophets and apostles, created sketches for cosmogony. Repeatedly sculpted the image of Christ using various materials.
1874
1892
1899
1910
1916
1919
1923
1928
1935
1945
1956
1965
1971
Sergey Konenkov was born into a peasant family
Started studying at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture
Started studying at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, which he graduated four years later; was sent on a foreign creative trip. Visited France, Italy and Germany. Having returned, he created his first significant sculpture “The Stoneborer” of a realistic nature; later, he received a silver medal for it.
Continued his studies at the workshop of V. A. Beklemishev
Continued his studies at the workshop of V. A. Beklemishev at the St. Petersburg Higher Art School at the Imperial Academy of Arts. For the diploma work “Samson Tearing the Bond” (1902), he received the title of artist-sculptor; however, the work, too emotional and modernist, was destroyed by order of officials.
He became a member of the Union of Russian Artists
He became a member of the Union of Russian Artists; in the next two years, he traveled to Greece and Egypt; this much helped him to be successful in his further work, in particular, on the Greek cycle. At the same time, he created the “forest series”, extensively using wood and various methods of its processing.
He was elected a full member of the Imperial Academy of Arts
He was elected a full member of the Imperial Academy of Arts, was admitted to the avant-garde association “World of Art”. Created the famous sculpture “The Old Lady”, the model for which was peasant woman M. Krivopolenova, a popular fairy tale writer of Russian epics, who surprised her listeners with her natural talent.
He was appointed chairman of the Moscow Union of Sculptors and Artists
After the revolution, he was appointed chairman of the Moscow Union of Sculptors and Artists, created a monument to S. Razin on Red Square and a memorial plaque “Fallen in the Struggle for Peace and Brotherhood of Peoples” (installed on the Senate Kremlin Tower).
Lived in New York for 22 years
Having married Margarita Vorontsova in 1922, he accompanied an exhibition of Russian art to the USA. The couple remained to live in New York for 22 years, as the wife turned out to be a Soviet resident. The sculptor created more than 150 works in the United States to private and public orders, including sculptures on the themes of the Bible and the Apocalypse.
Got the Grand Prix in Paris for the sculpture "Prophet"
Got the Grand Prix in Paris for the sculpture “Prophet”; went on a long trip to Italy, met with Gorky and worked on his portrait. A solo exhibition of the sculptor was held in Rome.
To order of Princeton University, he sculpted a bust of A. Einstein
To order of Princeton University, he sculpted a bust of A. Einstein. The brilliant physicist respected the work of the sculptor, but paid great attention to Margarita Konenkova; that is how a “love triangle” was formed. Einstein’s letters to Margarine and his sonnet dedicated to her have been preserved.
He returned with his works to Moscow
By the specially chartered ship Smolny, he returned with his works to Moscow, where he was given a workshop (now it is called the Konenkov Memorial House Museum).
He presented 184 sculptures at his solo exhibition
After becoming a full member of the USSR Academy of Arts thanks to his portrait diptych, he presented 184 sculptures at his solo exhibition. The exposition consisted of 50 collections (private and public) from 23 cities of Russia. A year later he was awarded the title of People’s Artist.
The 90th anniversary
The sculptor received the title of Hero of Labor; a large exhibition in honor of the 90th anniversary of his birth was organized at the Moscow House of Artists on Kuznetsky Most.
The death of the artist
Sergey Konenkov died on December 9, 1971 in Moscow, USSR.