The famous sculptor, artist Konenkov Sergey Timofeevich is one of the prominent representatives of Russian culture. It was he who managed to revive the images of the Russian fairy tale. The tree as the original material of Russian creativity Konenkov successfully revived in his creations.
Biography
The sculptor was born on July 28 according to the old style (July 10 - according to the new). The place of his birth was the village of Karakovichi, which is located in the Smolensk province (now it is the Smolensk region, Yelninsky district). The family was quite prosperous, although it was peasant. Konenkov's mother, Sergei Timofeevich, died when the boy was four years old. After her death, he grew up in the house of his uncle, who early enough noticed the unusual abilities of his nephew.
By decision of his uncle, Sergei was sent to study at the gymnasium. It was located in the city of Roslavl. It was there that the first achievements in painting began to appear. After graduating from the course, he lived in a family of acquaintances of his uncle - the landowners Smirnov. During his stay with them, he, along with their son, received knowledge from home teachers. After conducting final exams, Konenkov Sergey Timofeevich left for Moscow, where he passed entrance exams at the school of sculpture and architecture. But after the entrance exams, it turned out that he was enrolled in the sculpture department. Since the young man could not ask anyone for help, he had to combine his studies and work. He takes on private orders. One of these is the design of the facade. The house belonged to the tea merchant Perlov. Sergei Timofeevich also creates sketches for the design of a bread shop.
Later Konenkov Sergey Timofeevich, whose biography is very interesting, traveled to such countries as Germany, France, Italy, in 1897. He was conquered by the works of Rodin. During the trip Konenkov draws and sculpts a lot. After the trip, he creates his first work - “The Stoneborer” (in 1898), which he subsequently casts in bronze.
Further Sergey Timofeevich decides to continue his studies. To do this, he chooses the St. Petersburg Higher Art School.
But training has become one of the difficult stages in the life of the sculptor. Konenkov Sergey Timofeevich himself often became the source of conflict at the academy. The sculptures of the young man were often performed in the spirit of Rodin's works, which did not always suit his mentors. And his graduation work - the Samson statue - caused a storm of emotions and a fierce discussion among professors. Excessive expression, a modernist approach to the interpretation of the plot, a deviation from classical proportions - all this led to an ambiguous assessment of Konenkov's work.
The sculptor died in 1971, the cause of this was pneumonia. Sergei Timofeevich was buried in Moscow. The burial place is Novodevichy cemetery.
Sculptor and revolution
In 1905, during the beginning of the revolution, Konenkov Sergey Timofeevich was in Moscow. And took a direct part in it. He organized fighting squads, fought on the barricades.
This activity is reflected in his work. He created a series of portrait paintings “The Worker-Thriller of 1905, Ivan Churkin”, “Slav”, “Peasant”, “Nika”.
Konenkov Sergey Timofeevich: personal life
Unlike creativity, the sculptor’s personal life was not so simple. His first wife was Tatyana Konyaeva. She was a model. Tatyana became a permanent model for his works. Thanks to Konyaeva, he created the best of his works - Nika. In the marriage, the spouses had two children. However, it did not last long.
After ten years, Sergei Timofeevich met another woman named Margarita Vorontsova. At the beginning of 1922 they got married. And in 1923, the couple went to America. There they took part in an exhibition of Soviet art. In this country, the works created by Sergei Timofeevich Konenkov are very successful. The sculptures, the model for which was his wife Margarita, are especially popular. These works are “Water Jet”, “Bacchus”, “Butterfly”, “Magnolia”.
Joint children they were not born. Sergei Timofeevich did not disclose the details of his personal life, for this reason the relationship between Sergey and Margarita and the period of their residence in America became the source of various speculations and legends.
Creation
Konenkov made from various materials. He created a whole series of wooden works. In 1909-1910, the images of Russian fairy tales, epics and pagan mythology come to life in the sculptor's work. “Old women-field animals”, “Lesoviki”, “Velikosil”, “Stribog”, “Yeruslan Lazarevich” are sculptured from wood. Konenkov found and identified their forms in the very structure of the tree trunk. A series of female sculptures is also interesting: “Winged” (1913), “Firebird” (1915), “Caryatid” (1918) - all these works were included in this series. The so-called Greek series has been completed, with works such as The Young Man and The Gorus. The revolutionary period was marked by the creation of a bas-relief "Fallen in the struggle for peace and the brotherhood of peoples." He owns the portrait work of Turgenev, Mayakovsky, Tsiolkovsky.
All the work is the work of such a wonderful master as Konenkov Sergey Timofeevich. The creativity of this talented man found expression in bronze, wood, stone, bas-reliefs, sculptures and canvases. They reflected the various stages of life and time in which the sculptor existed.
Interesting Facts
In 1935, Konenkov Sergey Timofeevich received an order to make a bust of A. Einstein.
In the year the spouses returned to Moscow from New York (1945), by personal order of I.S. Stalin, a steamer was allocated to transport all the sculptor's works. Later, many of the plaster works were performed in bronze and stone.
Awards
• 1951 - presentation of the Stalin Prize (“Martha” and “Ninochka”).
• 1955 - assignment of the status of People's Artist of the RSFSR.
• 1958 - obtaining the status of people's artist of the USSR.
• 1964 - receiving the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.
• 1955, 1964 - Presentation of the orders of Lenin.
Since 1964, the honorary citizen of the city of Smolensk is none other than Konenkov Sergey Timofeevich. The sculptor’s work is marked by many awards, medals and prizes.
Memory
On the occasion of the centenary of Sergei Timofeevich in 1974, a memorial workshop-museum was opened. Its interior is made according to the sketches of Sergei Timofeevich. In Smolensk there is also a sculpture museum that bears his name. In memory of Konenkov in 1973 a postage stamp was issued depicting a portrait of Sergei Timofeevich. Streets in cities such as Moscow, Roslavl, Smolensk, Donetsk, acquired names in honor of the sculptor.
Such a talented person as Konenkov Sergey Timofeevich, whose brief biography reveals his life to us, has become one of the best sculptors and artists of our country.