Monuments reveal

Four wise monkeys Buddhist principle – hear, speak, see, do no evil

Four wise monkeys Buddhist principle
Many of us are familiar with Three wise monkeys representing Buddhist religion principle of non-doing three evils. In particular, “see no evil”, “hear no evil”, and “do not speak of evil”. Monkeys Mi-zaru, Cica-zaru and Yves-zaru “hide” from evil, closing the mouth, eyes and ears. And we often meet their images in sculptures and figurines, as well as copied and parodied ones. However, they also have a fourth friend, whose image we meet much rarer. Meanwhile, forgotten Sedzaru embodies the principle of “do not commit evil,” and the arms cover belly or crotch area. Since the Japanese consider the number 4 unlucky, fourth, though the most important monkey, is mentioned very rarely. Undoubtedly, the four wise monkeys have become the real inspiration for artists and craftsmen all over the world.
Read more »

Sculptural composition dedicated to Vysotsky and Marina Vlady in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Vladimir Vysotsky monuments

I am not sure what man has the most monuments erected to him, but after Vladimir Lenin it is probably Vladimir Vysotsky (25 January 1938 – 25 July 1980) – Soviet Russian bard, poet, song writer, film and theater actor. Vladimir Vysotsky monuments can be found worldwide – mostly in Russia and Ukraine, as well as in Poland, the USA, Bulgaria, Belarus, etc. His name was given to parks, cultural centers, museums, memorials, streets and squares, and even an impressive skyscraper in Yekaterinburg, Russia was named after him. Following the results of opinion poll conducted in 2010, Vysotsky took second place in the list of “heroes of the XX century” after Yuri Gagarin. The survey, conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation in mid-July 2011, showed that, despite the decline of interest in the works of Vladimir Vysotsky, the absolute majority (98%) of Russians know the name “Vladimir Vysotsky” and 70% responded that his songs are pleasant, and consider his creativity important phenomenon of the XX century Russian culture.
Read more »

Jesus Christ the King monument in Poland – the world’s largest statue of Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ the King monument is the world’s largest statue of Jesus Christ, established in the south-eastern outskirts of the city of Swiebodzin in Poland. The official opening and consecration took place on 21 November 2010. The total height of the monument about 52 m, which is higher than the monument of Cristo de la Concordia in Cochabamba (40.44 m with the pedestal) and the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro (39.6 m with the pedestal). The height of the statue with a crown is 36 m, and 16 m – height of stone-earthen hill. The height of the two other statues without pedestals of 34.2 m and 30 m. Thus, the statue of Christ is the highest in the world. The maximum width of the statue is about 25 m. The initiator of the construction of the monument was Canon Sylvester Zawadzki, the priest of the Temple of the Divine Mercy in Swiebodzin.
Read more »

Beautiful Italian sculptor Gina Lollobrigida

Beautiful Italian sculptor Gina Lollobrigida
The famous Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida, even in the era of her triumphant success in the movie was passionately fond of drawing and sculpture. In her youth, she graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, but later the talent and beauty have led her to a new way of expression – the cinema. Having achieved great success in the cinema, she finished her film career in the 1990s, and returned to her first love – sculpture.
In her art gallery – dozens of sculptures, life-size in bronze and clay … Meanwhile, the cinema has become a source of inspiration for her sculptural works. Thus, the sculpture is a magical golden mirror of Gina, in which come alive beautiful heroines played by Lollobrigida in the movie: Esmeralda, the Queen of Sheba, and Paolina Borghese …
Read more »

Altai Mountain Carved Icon

Altai Mountain Carved Icon of Virgin with a Child was made by a nun of Barnaul Znamensky Monastery Felofeya. The rock carved icon is next to St. John the Theologian monastery of Chemal region, on the Patmos island of Altai Republic, Russia. Once, in one of the rocks of the abbess of the female monastery nun Nadezhda saw the image of the Virgin, which later was carved by nun of Barnaul Znamensky monastery – sculptor Felofeya. Currently, St. John the Evangelist church on the island of Patmos is the current women’s hermitage, where services are held regularly. It is opened to all comers.
Read more »

Pilgrims family sculptural composition

Pilgrims family sculptural composition – a man with a knapsack, a woman, and a child – made in the style of street sculptures – you can go to it to get close up, take a picture. Behind pilgrims rises symbolic image of Ivan the Great Bell in the Kremlin, in front of them – the bell tower of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. The composition is crowned by the figure of an angel. The frame group includes Bell, and among them – real ones, you can come and ring. The main connecting link of the composition is the Gates that open to every man on the path to God and shaped domes of an Orthodox church, topped with a figure of the Archangel Michael. In the center of the composition – the family of the Moscow city dweller, beginning the pilgrimage route from Moscow.
Read more »

Russian traditional ship sculpture

Russian traditional ship sculpture

The tradition to decorate ships with sculpture goes back to hoary antiquity. Militant sailors, seeking to crush the morale of the enemy even before the battle, attached to the stem heads of ferocious monsters, and unseen dragons. They were so frightening that, upon return to their harbor, not wanting to frighten the relatives, sailors covered the sculptures with deflated sail. Ship noses were decorated with carved wooden figures of animals, birds, and each had a certain meaning. For example, standing on back paws lion symbolized courage, grandeur and generosity. And preparing to jump leopard meant courage. A rapidly running horse symbolized power and speed; bull – fertility and prosperity; wing-spread Eagle – power and insight; bantam-cock – readiness for battle; and fish – vigilance. Brightly painted and even covered with gold leaf, flying over the waves figures were pride of ship. And only most experienced sailors could care for them. Their daily duty included daily cleaning them from sea salt, washing, and tinting. Besides, captured in the ship fights sculptures considered a valuable trophy. In honor of the victory, these sculptures, attached to a specially built triumphal column, dubbed the rostral (from the Latin word rostrum – the nose of the ship).
Read more »