Russian sculptor-animalist Dmitry Gorlov
Born in 1899 in St. Petersburg, Dmitry Vladimirovich Gorlov is a famous animal sculptor and graphic artist, honored Artist of Russia. Soon after birth, his family moved to Bogorodsk, where he spent his childhood and youth. There he graduated from the Bogorodsk Real College, in which he received his primary education. The young man was clearly attracted to art, but he was not going to become a professional artist. He dreamed of a “real business”, he wanted to create the material values ​​necessary for the young Soviet republic. D.V. Gorlov changed many different professions, but at the same time constantly painted.
From 1921 to 1923, he received higher education at VKHUTEMAS (Higher Art and Technical Studios). The animal artist Vasily Vatagin helped him make the final choice of the path. Indeed, he greatly influenced Gorlov and took him as an assistant to the Darwin Museum. They were brought together by a love for the profession and an interest in animals. Also, they both believed in the humanistic significance of animalistic themes, and a serious, meaningful treatment of sculptural materials.

An important stage in the life of D.V. Gorlov became 1943, when he was invited as the main artist to the Gzhel Ceramics Plant. The best works of small plastic he created in china. A new streak in creativity begins with the porcelain “Baby Lynx” (1953). Touching the new material, the artist was able to appreciate its severity, whiteness, soft flare, and suitability for chamber works. Already in the ideas themselves appeared freshness and novelty, and in the images something surprisingly cute and childish-spontaneous. As a result, Leningrad Porcelain Factory, as well as other porcelain enterprises produced items on his design.

Russian sculptor-animalist Dmitry Vladimirovich Gorlov

Noteworthy, Gorlov worked in the genre of monumental sculpture. From 1946 to 1958 he created a series of eight high reliefs to the Krylov monument (opened in Kalinin in 1959). On the sides of the monument, 4 steles, on each of them 2 high reliefs with famous characters of Krylov’s fables. The height of each high relief in bronze is 2 meters, width – 1 meter 30 cm.

Gorlov comes to international success – his 1958 porcelain figurines “Donkey”, “Zebra”, “Giraffe”, and “Zubrobison” got the gold medal “For Fidelity to National Traditions” at the World Exhibition in Brussels.