Bulat Okudzhava Monument

2002
Architects: I. Popov, V. Proshlyakov
Bronze
Okudzhava figure 2.5 m (8 ft.)
Moscow

Bulat Okudzhava (1924-1997) Soviet and Russian poet, musician, screenwriter and Singer-songwriter.

Sited in Plotnikov Lane near the intersection of the Arbat Street pedestrian mall, the monument symbolically captures the essence of the Arbat, its bohemian nature, the intelligentsia and its courtyards.

The courtyards of Arbat embody an atmosphere in which generation after generation of the intelligentsia and other Muscovites who lived in the city center grew up. Such characteristic features as pass-through courtyards and diagonal arches are on display in this work.

Physically, the monument is an ensemble of architecture and sculpture that sits on a low, uneven cobblestone base reminiscent of the courtyards of Arbat’s apartments and tenements. Between two archways are a table and a bench, common features in an Arbat courtyard.

A bronze shadow emanating from the figure of the artist runs through the archway. The poet has left, but his shadow remains.  Also remaining is the image of the Arbat courtyard celebrated by the poet. The courtyard is alive, which means that the poet still has dominion over his fate—his own and ours. It means that he is still able to bring into our life the charm and wisdom of sincere lyricism.