Joseph Brodsky
2011
Georgy Frangulyan with architect Sergey Skuratov
Bronze
Brodsky figure 330 x 137 x 77 cm (10 ft. 10 in. x 4 ft. 6 in. x 2 ft. 6 in.)
Gift of the artist to the city of Moscow
This is a monument to one of Russia’s beloved poets, who was forcibly exiled from the Soviet Union in 1972 and never returned.
The monumental complex consists of 13 figures united into two groups and depicted in broad strokes. Brodsky gazes at the sky as he steps out in Moscow. He is in the company of thirteen other figures that are arranged in two groups and standing to the poet’s side. Brodsky stands apart from the populace, the solitary genius lost in thought. Brodsky is the only one whose face and body are depicted realistically and fully. All the other figures are intentionally flat. The poet stands with his head thrown back, eyes closed, hands in pockets.
The idea of the composition is that not everyone succeeds in expressing themselves, in 'imprinting' themselves on reality, in superimposing an image of themselves onto the world.
The flat sculptures, arranged on a pedestal extending deep into a courtyard, give the composition sculptural volume. This is the crux of what makes the composition work. The monument recasts the space within an architectural idiom.
The figures are mounted on a two-tiered podium, which solidifies them into a single spatial unit. This two-step raft is a symbolic embodiment of the two stages of the poet's life - before and after the expulsion from Russia. Situated in a park, the sculpture lunges into the depths of a courtyard, creating a kind of theatrical staging, which may be seen when looking at the sculpture both from the street and when rounding it.
The street, the tiny park in which it stands, and the passersby become active participants in the artistic idea put forth by Georgy Frangulyan.
The platform is accessible to pedestrians. Anyone can find themselves among these figures, within the compositional space, and become its integral part-to try yourself on for size. You can try to get a sense for who you are, where you are going, and how you can manifest yourself in this complex world.
