The most famous sculptors of the world and their work. Famous Russian Sculptors

The first creations of human hands, which can be called sculpture, appeared in prehistoric times and represented idols, which our ancestors worshiped. Over the past hundreds of thousands of years the art of sculpture has reached unprecedented heights, and today in museums and on the streets of many cities of the world you can see real masterpieces, which invariably arouse admiration of visitors and passers-by. So who of the well-known Russian and foreign masters of different epochs can pretend that his name was categorized as "famous sculptors", and which of their works are included in the golden fund of world art?

Famous sculptors of the ancient world

As already mentioned, the art of sculpture originated many millennia ago, as evidenced by the numerous stone and clay volumetric images of people, animals and mythical creatures found during archaeological excavations. Of course, no one knows who their authors were, but history retained the names of some of the great sculptors who worked in the period from the 14th century BC. E. And until the 1st century AD. E.

For example, the question of who the most famous sculptors of the ancient world, among others, is necessarily mentioned the great ancient Egyptian sculptor Thutmose the Younger. He worked at the court of Pharaoh Akhenaten and created one of the most famous works of art of the Amarna period - the bust of Queen Nefertiti. Much more information is about who is the most famous sculptor of Greece and Rome of the ancient period. In particular, the masters Critias and Nesiot created in the 5th century BC. E. A magnificent composition of Harmodius and Aristogiton, which later more than once inspired the sculptors of later time. Even greater heights in the skill of sculpture achieved the great Phidias, who is the author of the statue of Zeus of gold and ivory, recognized as one of the wonders of the ancient world. It should be noted that the great contribution to the development of ancient art, which was made by such famous sculptors as Skopas, Praxitel and Lysippos, who created the so-called quadriga of St. Mark. As for the Roman sculptors, most of their creations, for example the famous Apollo Belvedere, are copies from Greek originals.

Famous sculptors of the world: the Middle Ages

As you know, the beginning of the historical period that followed the fall of the Western Roman Empire was not the best time for the development of art. That is why no particularly significant works of art of sculpture dating to the 5-12th centuries are not known today. Fortunately, over time, the dictates of the church began to weaken, and sculptures of saints and rulers appeared, whose authors allowed themselves to depart from the strict canons of religious art and make their creations more realistic. As an example, you can bring such masters as the father and son of Pisano, who created in the late 13th and early 14th century. And, of course, when it comes to who is the most famous sculptor of the Gothic period, you can not call Adam Kraft, who created the magnificent altar of Tetzel Chapel.

The art of the Renaissance sculpture

Perhaps, there is hardly anyone who does not know who the most famous sculptors and their works of the Renaissance period are. Indeed, it is to this era that such masterpieces as the statue of David and Michelangelo's Pieta, copies of which are adorned with Catholic churches around the world, as well as the monument of Gattamelate Donatello and "Perseus" by Benvenuto Cellini. From French masters it is worth noting Jean Guzhon and Germain Pilon, who created under the influence of their Italian counterparts.

Famous masters of 18th century sculpture

A magnificent example of the art of sculpting the New Times is the famous Trevi Fountain at the Pali Palace in Rome, considered one of the symbols of the Italian capital. Its authors are Nicolo Salvi and Pietro Bracci, who executed the figure of Neptune and Tritons. In the 18th century, Antonio Canova, famous for his tombstones of the Roman popes, as well as famous sculptors from France Edmond Bouchardon and Jean Baptiste Pigalle. As for the English masters, among them one can distinguish a kind of trio consisting of John Flaxman, Joseph Nollekens and Thomas Banks.

European sculpture of the 19th century

The beginning of the last century was marked by the appearance of a bright star of the world sculpture - Bertel Thorvaldsen, who in 1803 presented to the public his "Iason". After a loud world debut, he became an extremely popular master of famous customers from different countries, and for his rather long creative life he sculpted many excellent compositions and portraits of famous people. In particular, it is worth mentioning a huge frieze depicting the exploits of Alexander the Great, created by him in 1812 to decorate the Quirinal Palace.

When considering the question of who were the most famous sculptors and their works of the 19th century, one of the first to come to mind is the name of Auguste Rodin. And this is not at all surprising, since his creations "The Thinker" and "The Kiss" are recognized as the greatest masterpieces of world art. As for the sculptors of Germany, Schwanthaler deserves special mention, who created a lot of wonderful works decorating the palaces and other important buildings of Munich.

Sculptors of the 20th and 21st centuries

In the last century, the traditions of the great Italian masters were continued by Giacomo Manz, famous for his creation "The Gate of Death", made for the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rome. In addition, it is worth mentioning such masters as Jacques Lipschitz and Osip Tsadkin, who created in a surreal style. The category "The most famous sculptors of the world" includes Alberto Giacometti, who created the work "The Going Man" in 1961, which was estimated at Sotheby's auction at 104.3 million US dollars. Among the sculptors of the late 20th century, it is worth mentioning Fernando Botero, Linna Chadwicka and Barry Flanagan.

Famous Russian sculptors from the 18th and 19th centuries

Talk about the art of sculpture in Russia in the pre-Petrine era is not necessary, since it simply did not exist. The founding of St. Petersburg made us think about decorating its palaces and squares with sculptural compositions, as was customary in European countries, so foreign craftsmen were invited to the court. Thus, the first famous "Russian" sculptors were foreigners. For example, several voluminous portraits have come down to us, cast by the father of the future great architect, K. B. Rastrelli.

After the founding of Catherine II of the Academy of Arts, the Russians began to study there as well. In particular, during her reign, such pioneers of the national art of sculpture, as F. Shubin, M. Kozlovsky and F. Gordeev, who created the famous Samson, distinguished themselves. Especially many gifted masters appeared in the 19th century. In particular, it was during this period that such famous sculptors of Russia as MM Antokolsky - author of the monument to Peter the First in Peterhof, AM Opekushin, P. Velionsky, and I. N. Schroeder - created such famous sculptors.

The art of sculpting the Soviet and post-Soviet period

One of the most recognizable works of sculpture in the first half of the 20th century is, of course, the famous monument of Vera Mukhina "Worker and Collective Farm Girl" - a recognized masterpiece of socialist realism. Equally interesting are the works of E. Voutecic, who created the Liberator's Warrior for the Berlin Treptow Park and the world-famous statue "Motherland", and M. Anikushin, the author of the monuments to A. P. Chekhov and A. Pushkin, who was installed In Leningrad in 1957.

As for who is the most famous Russian sculptor of the post-Soviet period, then probably Ernst Neizvestny, who started his work even in Soviet times, was forced to emigrate to the USA, and his most significant work - "Mask of Sorrow" For the Magadan memorial of victims of Stalinist repressions - created in 1996. Another master sculptor, widely recognized in recent decades, is M. Shemyakin, whose work deserves special mention a multi-figure composition "Children - victims of adult vices."