Russian History in the Monumental Sculpture of Pre-Revolutionary Saint Petersburg

Authors

  • Dmitry A. Sosnitsky St. Petersburg State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu02.2023.212

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the complex of monumental sculptures of pre-revolutionary St Petersburg in terms of their influence on the construction of mass ideas about the history of Russia. The list of monuments created and installed in St Petersburg since the beginning of the 18th century until 1917 has been compiled on the basis on the analysis of reference books and researches. The article describes the circumstances of installation of some significant monuments, their interpretation of objects of historical memory (historical figures, events, phenomena). The author also analyses active participation of some emperors (Catherine II, Alexander III, Nicholas II) in the creation of projects for monuments to historical figures and events and their role in the formation of the sculptural appearance of StPetersburg. The study outlines three main groups of monuments and describes the quantitative proportion between them. It identifies the most popular heroes of the Russian history and concludes about the reasons for the popularity of various heroes and plots. The article provides calculations that demonstrate quantitative trends in the installation of monuments during the period in question. The study includes analysis of the press of St Petersburg devoted to the unveiling of some monuments and to expert opinions about the monuments. The article makes conclusions about the reasons for the dominance of monuments to rulers, statesmen, and representatives of the imperial family over other groups and analyses the image of the past formed by the monumental sculpture of St Petersburg in the imperial period.

Keywords:

historical memory, Saint Petersburg, images of the past, monumental sculpture, monuments

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Author Biography

Dmitry A. Sosnitsky, St. Petersburg State University

PhD (History), Senior Lecturer

References

Литература

Bozhenkova M. I. Kumir na bronzovom kone. Obraz Petra Velikogo v monumental’noi skul’pture Sankt-Peterburga. St Petersburg, Pal’mira Publ., 1997, 159 p. (In Russian)

Gorodetskii M. I. Pamiatnik na obshchei mogile Volynskogo, Eropkina i Khrushchova sooruzhennyi v 1885 godu. St Petersburg, Tip. V. S. Balashova Publ., 1886, 16 p. (In Russian)

Isachenko V. G. Pamiatniki Sankt-Peterburga. St Petersburg, Paritet Publ., 2004, 396 p. (In Russian)

Kotlomanov A. O. Monumental’nost’ novoi russkoi skul’ptury. Epizod 1: pamiatnik kniaziu Vladimiru. Vestnik of Sant Petersburg University. Arts, 2017, vol. 7, issue 3, pp. 342–359. (In Russian)

Leont’eva O. B. Istoricheskaia pamiat’ i obrazy proshlogo v rossiiskoi kul’ture XIX — nachale XX vv. Samara, Kniga Publ., 2011, 448 p. (In Russian)

Mel’nov A. V. Ustanovka pamiatnika Petru I v Vyborge: po materialam periodicheskoi pechati. Uchenye zapiski Petrozavodskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta, 2021, vol. 43, issue 6, pp. 93–100. (In Russian)

Mikeshin M. O. Opisanie proekta pamiatnika imperatritse Ekaterine II. St Petersburg, Tip. P. I. Babkina Publ., 1896, 31 p. (In Russian)

Mut’ya N. N. Ivan Grozny: istorizm i lichnost’ pravitelia v otechestvennom iskusstve XIX–XX vv. St Petersburg, Aletheia Publ., 2010, 490 p. (In Russian)

Romanova E. O. Tema istoricheskoi pamiati v sovremennom monumental’nom iskusstve na primere tvorchestva Z. K. Tsereteli. Novoe iskusstvoznanie, 2019, issue 1, pp. 22–28. (In Russian)

Svyatoslavskii A. V. Istoriia Rossii v zerkale pamiati. Mekhanizmy formirovaniia istoricheskikh obrazov. Moscow, Drevlekhranilishche Publ., 2013, 588 p. (In Russian)

Topalova E. Mednyi vsadnik. Zhiznennyi put’ Et’ena Fal’kone. Moscow, Algoritm Publ., 2016, 238 p.(In Russian)

Zhitkov G. M. Pamiatnik iz turetskikh orudii v S.-Peterburge. Ego sooruzhenie i torzhestvennoe otkrytie 12 oktiabria 1886 g. Vospominanie o Turetskoi voine 1877–1878 godov. St Petersburg, Tip. V. A. Tikhanova Publ., 1889, 84 p. (In Russian)

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Published

2023-06-09

How to Cite

Sosnitsky, D. A. (2023). Russian History in the Monumental Sculpture of Pre-Revolutionary Saint Petersburg. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. History, 68(2), 496–507. https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu02.2023.212

Issue

Vol. 68 No. 2 (2023)

Section

Historiography, Source Studies and Methods of Historical Research

License

Articles of "Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. History" are open access distributed under the terms of the License Agreement with Saint Petersburg State University, which permits to the authors unrestricted distribution and self-archiving free of charge.