Monument "To the Fighters of the Revolution"
The greatest achievement of Kyrgyz monumental art in the 1970s was the widely recognized monument "To the Fighters of the Revolution" (1978, bronze, granite), created by sculptor T. Sadykov (architect G. Kutateladze). In terms of significance and emotional intensity of its ideological and artistic content, the monument was classified among the outstanding achievements of Soviet monumental art. For its creation, T. Sadykov was awarded the Lenin Prize.
The monument is located in one of the central squares of the city and represents a three-part spatial composition, dominating among relatively low urban buildings surrounded by trees and cascades of small fountains. Developing the established traditions of multi-figure, freely arranged monuments in Soviet monumental art, T. Sadykov created an original work that harmoniously combines the international significance of the idea of revolutionary struggle for people's power with vibrant national specificity. He found expressiveness in the overall artistic solution of the complexly structured sculptural ensemble and was able to fully develop its figurative dramaturgy for perception from close distances. The monument, facing Lenin Avenue, is visible with an expressive silhouette from all sides, and as one approaches and walks around it, it reveals civic pathos and the richness of emotional-psychological content, as well as a variety of figurative colors and plastic beauty.
The ideological and compositional center of the monument's ensemble is the statue of a Kyrgyz woman, raised to a height of nine meters on a granite pedestal, holding high the banner of freedom. The very fact of choosing a female figure for the central monument is deeply justified, as the fate of the long-oppressed woman of the East was particularly affected by the great social changes of the 20th century.
The majestic figure, depicted in a wide stride, captures the power of movement that expresses the heroic march of the revolutionary era, the clarity of goals, and the determination of the masses who have realized the undeniable logic of socio-historical development. Representing an image of great generalizing power, symbolizing an extremely important era in the life of the Kyrgyz and the entire Soviet people, the central monument is also full of unique national distinctiveness. Achieving harmonious unity in expressing a socially significant public idea and national coloring of the central image was aided by Sadykov's living, organic connection with Kyrgyz history and reality.
Sadykov associated his work on the sculpture, intended to immortalize the memory of the fighters of the revolution, with the real personality of the Kyrgyz heroine U. Saliyeva—a passionate communist of the 1930s, a pioneer of collective farm life, who was killed by the Basmachi. "The fate of Urkui Saliyeva," the sculptor states, "inspired my work and firmly connected the symbolism of the monument with actual events." The content of the monument, concentrated in the central figure, is further developed and specified in the side compositions. Multi-figure and tightly composed, they are also monolithic and integral, despite the presence of narrative plot and diversity of characters. In these groups, the richness of the artist's accumulated observations, knowledge of the deep layers of national history, folk traditions, characters, and everyday life is realized.The left sculptural group "Awakening" represents the image of pre-revolutionary Kyrgyzstan. Through the means of plasticity, the psychology of the masses is revealed on the eve of the revolution. The characters are united by a premonition of great life changes. Each of them, possessing a vivid character, resonates symbolically. The figure of a hunter with a golden eagle expresses folk wisdom. A woman, leaning her head on the shoulder of the eagle hunter, symbolizes patience and kindness. The image of a highland resident on a yak with a rifle over his shoulder is filled with a different meaning. He embodies the youthful strength of the people, love of freedom, and readiness for revolutionary action. The figure of a Russian peasant, representing the idea of international unity of the Kyrgyz and Russian poor, radiates the strength of epic heroes. The composition as a whole provides an artistically convincing image of a turning point in time, the awakening of national consciousness, and the concentration of popular forces.
The right composition "Revolution" announces the beginning of a new stage in Kyrgyz history. The old unjust world is collapsing. The height of revolutionary struggle is underway. Dynamic rhythms prevail in the plastic solution of the group. A whole series of bright, life-true images is created here—this includes a Russian Red Army soldier in a Budyonovka helmet and a long coat, a young Kyrgyz going into battle with a bold, determined face, and a Kyrgyz mother holding her child close, whose fate will be determined by the outcome of the great class battle. Here, too, is sculpted a teenager with a thin, inspired face, who may have been inspired by the image of the young hero of the collectivization period—Kychan Jakypov—Kyrgyz Pavlik Morozov. These are new people, whose characters and fates were forged in the crucible of the heroic events of October, representing a people who made their historical choice.In the succinct expression of the humanitarian idea of the monument, and in how adequately its monumental sculptural form corresponds to its content, the lessons of mastery learned by T. Sadykov from his great teachers S. T. Konenkov and E. F. Belashova, as well as the international experience of realistic plasticity he absorbed, are reflected. At the same time, the national character of the sculptor's talent is evident in the plastic interpretation of the work. His heroes, while expressing the universal idea of revolutionary transformation of the world, possess nationally typical traits. In their sculpturally vivid and spiritually filled appearances, the inhabitants of the Kyrgyz mountains and steppes, tempered by labor and courage, are recognizable. The national element is also palpable in the subtle combination of the epic solemnity of the monument with the lyrical intonations breaking through its rhythm, which is characteristic of the traditional artistic perception of the Kyrgyz people.
The monument "To the Fighters of the Revolution," more than any other in the republic, has evoked a passionate response from viewers, artists, and art researchers. This is primarily due to its high civic pathos and socio-political significance, which was notably expressed on the day of the monument's opening by the Hero of Socialist Labor, the national writer of Kyrgyzstan Ch. Aitmatov: "By erecting a majestic monument in honor of the pioneers of new life on the ancient land of Ala-Too, we thereby express our filial love and gratitude to them, our admiration and thanks, our fidelity and unbreakable unity with the generation and associates of Lenin, whose work we consider ourselves rightful continuers of."
Numerous statements from art critics in the central and republican press, as well as in specialized publications, highlight: "The sculptural monument 'To the Fighters of the Revolution' is the result of many years of work by Turgunbai Sadykov, in which all his creative experience is concentrated. The sculptor convincingly demonstrated his mastery, free command of plastic form, and ability to find such artistic means that most fully reveal the high civic ideas close to the heart of the Kyrgyz people and all Soviet people." The merits and significance of the monument have been repeatedly emphasized in the pages of specialized and socio-political publications. "The interesting compositional solution and historical understanding of the events of the revolution have made this monument a significant phenomenon not only for the young sculpture of Central Asia but for all our art," wrote the famous Soviet sculptor Yu. Chernov.
Let us quote one of the excited responses from viewers: "I come here for a meeting with my youth," writes A. Gritchin, a member of the Communist Party since 1917. "I remember, on a clear autumn day, white silk fell from the bronze figures of the monument 'To the Fighters of the Revolution.' And suddenly it seemed to me that the hot winds of the Great October Revolution swept over the capital of Kyrgyzstan, and I heard the voices of comrades, battle commanders—Dmitry Krutogolov, Alexei Ivanitsyn, Imanaly Aydarbekov... I am sure that the path to the monument 'To the Fighters of the Revolution' will never overgrow.
The creation of the monument "To the Fighters of the Revolution" showed that Kyrgyzstan has produced a sculptor not only of bright and unique talent but also of broad monumental thinking and mature craftsmanship, capable of capturing and expressing in large plastic form the ideas of the time, the movement of the nation towards the new and progressive, as well as addressing the current tasks of synthesizing spatial arts with architecture and the natural environment. This was confirmed by subsequent major works of Sadykov in the field of monumental sculpture, created one after another, which played an important role in the urban planning situation and significantly enhanced the intensity of its ideological and spiritual life.