Коненков: Негасимые образы духа

Zhiznʹ vydai͡ushchegosi͡a skulʹptora Sergei͡a Timofeevicha Konënkova, soedini͡ai͡ushchai͡a v sebe ėpokhi XIX i KhKh stoletiĭ, polna kontrastov i zigzagov, chto vo mnogom obʺi͡asni͡aetsi͡a i ego kharakterom, i sutʹi͡u togo vremeni, v kotoroe on zhil. No vmeste s tem ego zhiznennyĭ putʹ t͡selen, gluboko soderzhatelen, bogat sobytii͡ami i tvorcheskimi svershenii͡ami, temi obrazami negasimogo dukha, kotorye sokhrani͡ai͡ut dli͡a nas ego skulʹpturnye proizvedenii͡a, grafika, publit͡sistika, vospominanii͡a. Vykhodet͡s iz krestʹi͡anskoĭ semʹi, on dostig vershin priznanii͡a v otechestvennom i mirovom iskusstve. KhKh vek poistine stal ego vekom, nasyshchennym razlichnymi stilisticheskimi napravlenii͡ami i tvorcheskimi ėksperimentami, na kotorye chutko otklikalsi͡a skulʹptor. On byl, nesomnenno, podvizhnikom dukha, kak i kazhdyĭ khudozhnik stolʹ vysokogo professionalʹnogo urovni͡a i glubinnoĭ filosofii tvorchestva. No Konënkov stal podvizhnikom dukha vdvoĭne - blagodari͡a svoeĭ bezgranichnoĭ predannosti iskusstvu i neizbyvnoĭ vere v sozidatelʹnostʹ truda, khristianskie istiny, nash narod i ego mnogovekovui͡u istorii͡u, v Rossii͡u.

The life of the outstanding sculptor Sergei Timofeevich Konenkov, which combines the epochs of the XIX and XX centuries, is full of contrasts and zigzags, which is largely explained by his character and the essence of the time in which he lived. But at the same time, his life path is whole, deeply meaningful, rich in events and creative achievements, those images of an unquenchable spirit that preserve for us his sculptural works, graphics, journalism, memories. Coming from a peasant family, he reached the heights of recognition in Russian and world art. The twentieth century truly became his century, full of various stylistic trends and creative experiments, to which the sculptor responded sensitively. He was undoubtedly an ascetic of the spirit, like every artist of such a high professional level and deep philosophy of creativity. But Konenkov became an ascetic of the spirit doubly — thanks to his boundless devotion to art and his abiding faith in the creativity of work, Christian truths, our people and its centuries-old history, in Russia.