Monuments reveal

Ulyanovsk, Russia. Soviet TV star Valentina Leontieva monument, opened August 1, 2008. Bronze. Work by sculptor Nikolai Antsiferov

Adored by millions, Soviet TV star Valentina Leontieva was among those celebrities whom the whole country worshiped. The monument to the famous TV presenter appeared just on her birthday – August 1 (2008). A bronze two-meter sculpture on a pedestal made of granite from the Irininsky deposit (Moscow region) depicts Valentina Leontieva, who left the theater and sat down in the park to relax and admire the view of the river. The author of the monument – sculptor from St. Petersburg Nikolai Antsiferov.
Born on August 1, 1923 in Leningrad, Valentina Leontieva had to survive the siege of Leningrad. At the age of 18 she helped the wounded and sick in the besieged city. When the “Road of Life” opened, her mother and two sisters left the blockaded city. Subsequently, Valentina recalled how her sister’s son died on the road and she could not even bury him humanly: the body of the child had to be buried in a roadside drift.
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The creation of the German animal sculptor Richard Freese, bronze Deer. Originally installed in the Rominsten forest, after the Great Patriotic War it appeared in Russia. The history of deer sculpture in Smolensk

The history of deer sculpture in Smolensk is quite interesting. In 1909, during the hunt in the Rominsten forest, the German Kaiser Wilhelm II killed a deer. The animal made a very strong impression on him, and he decided to install a statue of a deer in his castle. For many years the monument adorned the courtyard of the hunting castle in East Prussia, but in 1944 the statue mysteriously disappeared. In 1945, the sculpture, found by Soviet soldiers at the dacha of Goering, moved to Smolensk.
By the way, one deer horn weighs 200 kg. Meanwhile, residents and visitors of the city of Smolensk have a fun tradition – to rub the genitals of a deer to attract good luck.

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Inspired by the painting of of Peter Brueghel the Elder ‘The Parable of the Blind’ monument in the Hague. Blindness and blind people monuments

Blindness and blind people monuments
“The Parable of the Blind” is a picture of Peter Brueghel the Elder. Other names are “Blind”, “Parabola of the Blind”, “Blind Leading the Blind”. The picture shows six blind men, who move forward in a chain, holding each other. The first blind leader who walks first stumbles and, together with the staff, falls into the pit. Following him blind, falls on him. The third, associated with the second staff, will also follow its predecessors. The fifth and sixth do not yet know anything, but they inevitably must be in the pit behind their companions. In fact, the picture depicts the biblical parable of the blind: “If a blind man leads a blind man, they both fall into a pit.”
And the monument is in The Hague. Here, Russian artist Alexander Taratynov has created the sculptural versions of the most famous painting.
Meanwhile, installed in different cities of Russia, monuments to blind people remind us that among us live people who need our help. By the way, among the notable dates reminding us about blind people is The International Day of the White Cane. It is an attempt to equalize the rights of the disabled and the conditionally healthy, to allow the first to feel full, and the second – to try on the life of a person without vision.
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October, 2017. The “Dubrava” park of Klimovsk (urban district of Podolsk). Work by sculptor Alexander Rozhnikov. Russian artist Vasily Polenov monument

Russian artist Vasily Polenov monument

In the “Dubrava” park of Klimovsk appeared a monument to outstanding Russian painter Vasily Polenov. On the sculptural composition worked a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Arts, Honored Artist of Russia, sculptor Alexander Rozhnikov. The sculptural composition, made of bronze, is a figure of the artist and a frame mounted on an easel. Besides, the author of the monument attached a tablet to the frame with the name of the work “Klimovsk. Oak trees. 2017”. The landscape behind the frame will change constantly, together with the seasons and people who visit this part of the park. A cloth thrown on the frame, as if opening a new masterpiece of fine art. In addition, two more sculptures decorate the composition – a small dog at the feet of Vasily Polenov, and a cat.
Less than a week has passed since the opening of the sculpture, however among the people have already appeared a legend – to make money, you need to rub the cat’s right ear.
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Copper monument to Kolobok in Ulyanovsk. Located next to the hotel ‘Skazka’ (Fairy tale). Russian folk character Kolobok monuments

Russian folk character Kolobok monuments
The inscription on the monument says – shake my hand – and you will find a true friend. Rub my cheek – you will find love. And if you leave the coin – you’ll become rich.
Kolobok is a funny character of the Russian folk tale of the same name. Represented in the form of a small wheat bread in a spherical shape, the kolobok escaped from his grandmother and grandfather. So, during the holy journey, he manages to escape from different animals (a hare, a wolf and a bear). However, no matter how lucky the kolobok was, the cunning fox ate it.
Meanwhile, a fairy tale about Kolobok found in Russian and Ukrainian folklore, also has analogues in the tales of many other peoples. In particular, its equivalents are the American “gingerbread man”, and the English “Johnny-donut”. Also, Scandinavian, German, Uzbek, Tatar and other fairy tales have a similar plot.
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Memorial plate to film and theater actress Lyubov Polishchuk (May 21, 1949 –
November 28, 2006. Behind Russian actresses monuments

Behind Russian actresses monuments
Called the Soviet Sophia Loren, Lyubov Polishchuk was one of the most beautiful and extravagant women of Soviet cinema and could drive men crazy with one glance only. The film triumph of the actress took place in 1976, in M. Zakharov’s film “Twelve Chairs”. This role became for her both the landmark and fatal: it was after this film that the all-Union popularity came to her, but during the filming she got a serious spinal injury. The news of the deadly disease of the actress shocked everyone. Buried 28 November 2006 in Moscow at the Troekurovsky cemetery, however, the monument to the great actress appeared November 28, 2009. It is a column crowned with a crystal bust of the actress, reminiscent of a hardened scrap of fog.
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The most striking findings are stone-carved horses with two, three, and sometimes four horsemen. 200 stone sculptures found by Russian-Indian expedition

200 stone sculptures found by Russian-Indian expedition
The Russian-Indian expedition found about 200 stone sculptures of horsemen and plates with images of people and animals. Also, stone pedestals and stone basins covered in stone. In particular, the expedition took place in the Pir-Panjal Mountains (Small Himalayas) at a height of two thousand meters. Noteworthy, the presumed age of stone statues is the 6th-7th centuries.
Meanwhile, he most striking findings include stone-carved horses with two, three, and sometimes four horsemen. Costumes of warriors, their weapons, equipment and harness amaze with an abundance of details. However, the faces of the riders are devoid of individuality, although in each of them is a certain generalized image of the warrior.
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