Monumentalists of the New Generation in Kyrgyzstan
In the 1970s, with the arrival of sculptors and monumentalists of a new generation in Kyrgyz art, monumental sculpture began to develop more intensively. Expanding its ideological and thematic range and sphere of influence, it was enriched with large-scale works.
The rising level of monumental propaganda in the republic is especially noticeable in the capital. The appearance of works of national significance was marked in the first half of the 70s. The first such work was the Monument of Friendship, erected in 1974 for the 50th anniversary of the republic and the Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan. It is dedicated to an event of great historical significance for the Kyrgyz people—the 100th anniversary of Kyrgyzstan's voluntary accession to Russia. The authors of the Monument of Friendship are sculptors T. Sadykov, Z. Khabibulin, monumental artist S. Bakashev, and architect A. Nezhurin. The monument was installed with consideration of urban planning perspectives, and ten years later, due to a new redevelopment and construction in the city center, it became part of the new central square "Ala-Too" alongside the monument to V. I. Lenin and the monumental buildings of the branch of the Memorial Museum of V. I. Lenin and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan.
Resonating ideologically with similar monuments erected in the capitals of other Soviet republics, such as Moscow, Baku, Kyiv, and Ufa, the Monument of Friendship in Frunze possesses an original artistic solution. The twenty-meter obelisks, clad in white marble, symbolize the equal unity of the Kyrgyz and Russian peoples. The obelisks are surrounded by a multi-figured ring relief made of forged copper. The central group depicts a scene of handshake between Kyrgyz and Russian mothers, thus affirming peace and friendship among peoples. Around this group are figures of Russian and Kyrgyz workers, sculpted broadly and elegantly. Grouping together, rhythmically alternating with non-representational caesuras, they form a cohesive monumental composition. In its plastic expressiveness, the deeply understood traditions of the Russian school of sculpture are evident. At the same time, the image is endowed with a special lyrical-ethical structure, characteristic of the figurative thinking of the Kyrgyz people.
Almost simultaneously with the Monument of Friendship, for the 30th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet people over fascist Germany, the Alley of Heroes was created in Frunze by a collective of sculptors and architect V. Kurbatov. This alley is thematically related to the previously erected monument to the heroes of the Civil and Great Patriotic Wars, created by V. A. Puzirevsky. The Alley of Heroes, located on Young Guard Avenue, is a complex of bronze busts of Heroes of the Soviet Union from Kyrgyzstan: Ch. Tuleberdiev (sculptor Z. Khabibulin), G. A. Petrenko (sculptor T. Sadykov), G. E. Konkin (sculptor V. Shestopal), I. V. Moskalenko (sculptor T. Dosmagambetov), D. Shopokov (sculptor A. Mukhtudinov), N. Ya. Ananyev (sculptor G. Tupy).
Each bust, united by principles of strict realistic form, carries within it the individual image of the specific hero, as well as the imprint of the distinctive plastic handwriting of each sculptor. The perception of the busts, set against a backdrop of greenery, is enhanced by the architectural solution found—the proportionality of the pedestals clad in red granite, the terraced rises and descents with the stela on which the names of the heroes are inscribed. The Alley of Heroes, while relatively intimate in its monumental resonance, attracts attention with the psychological mood of the images, becoming one of the memorable places in the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
In those same years, the Monument of Labor Glory of Kyrgyzstan was erected, conveying information about the stages and achievements of the republic's labor life, and the awards of the Motherland. Its creators are sculptor T. Sadykov and architect A. Nezhurin. The monument is designed as a unique architectural granite installation with a relief depiction of orders (metal, stamping). It has organically integrated into the now-formed green recreational area.