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The boy's early drawing abilities prompted him to send him to the Academy of Arts in 1763.

Here he was assigned to a cultural class, where he was taught by N. Gillet, a French artist, educator of many talented sculptors of that time.

In addition to modeling, which Kozlovsky was seriously engaged in, drawing was a big and sincere hobby. Therefore, when choosing a specialty, he hesitated for a long time, not knowing what to give preference to: painting or sculpture.

In 1772, Kozlovsky was awarded the 1st degree gold medal for the programmatic bas-relief "Prince Izyaslav on the battlefield" (gypsum, Research Museum of the USSR Academy of Arts).

The sculptor turned to a topic from Russian history. Kozlovsky managed to create a dynamic scene: the poses of the characters are full of expression, their gestures are exaggeratedly pathetic. The artist has not yet arrived at the strict laconicism and restraint that would be characteristic of the mature period of his work.

Having received the Big Gold Medal for his thesis "The Return of Svyatoslav from the Danube" (1773), Kozlovsky graduated from the Academician of Arts. To continue his education, he went to Italy Acquaintance with the works of antiquity, deep studymonuments of antiquity and paintings by artists of the Renaissance enrich his work, broaden his horizons.

Unfortunately, nothing has come down to us from Roman works, except for a few drawings made with great temperament and perfection.

Apollo

In 1780, the Marseille Academy of Arts awarded the artist the title of academician. This is evidence of the popularity of his works abroad. Returning to his homeland, Kozlovsky performs numerous works to decorate architectural monuments.

He performs bas-reliefs for the concert hall in Tsarskoe Selo (architect D. Quarenghi) and for the Marble Palace in St. Petersburg (architect A. Rinaldi). At the same time, he executed a marble statue of Catherine II, presenting her in the image of Minerva (1785, RM). The artist creates an idealized, full of grandeur, the image of the empress-legislator. Catherine liked the statue, and Kozlovsky received permission to travel to Paris "to acquire knowledge of his art."

Hymen

In 1790 in Paris, the sculptor made the statue of "Polycrates" (RM). The theme of the human desire for freedom, expressed in the work, is consonant with the revolutionary events in France, witnessed by Kozlovsky.

Polycrates. Gypsum. 1790. Russian Museum.

The master depicted the most tense moment of suffering for Polycrates, chained to a tree by the Persians. Never before has a sculptor achieved such expression, drama, strength in expressing complex human feelings and such figurativeness of a plastic solution. This was helped by his excellent knowledge of anatomy, work from nature.

In 1794, Kozlovsky was awarded the title of academician, then "in respect of his talents" was appointed professor, and in 1797 - senior professor.

His role as a teacher at the Academy is extremely high. An excellent draftsman, sensitive, attentive teacher, he won universal respect and love. A whole galaxy of talented young sculptors emerged from his workshop: S. Pimenov, I. Terebenev,V. Demut-Malinovsky and others.

Minerva and the genius of the arts.

The end of the 80-90s of the 18th century was the heyday of the sculptor's talent.

Themes of heroic sound, full of lofty patriotic pathos, attracted the artist during this period.

In 1797 he carved in marble the statue "Yakov Dolgoruky, Breaking the Tsar's Decree" (RM). It is significant that the artist turned to themes of Russian history, events of the recent past.

"Yakov Dolgoruky, tearing apart the royal decree." Marble. 1797. Russian Museum.

He was attracted by the image of Peter's companion, who was not afraid in the presence of the emperor to break the unjust decree signed by the tsar, imposing unbearable burdens on the ruined peasants. Dolgoruky's figure is full of determination and firmness. His face is angry, stern. In the right hand there is a torch, in the left - the scales of justice; at the feet - a dead snake and a mask, personifying deceit and pretense.

Kozlovsky also refers to the subjects of the Homeric epic, Roman history. An important place in his work is occupied by the work on the image of Alexander the Great (1780s, State Russian Museum).

In the statue "Alexander the Great", the sculptor captured one of the episodes of the upbringing of will by the future commander. The beauty and perfection of the figure, the flexibility and smoothness of the movements of the youthful body are attractive. The silhouette of the statue is thought out, distinguished by the clarity and expressiveness of the contours.

Vigil of Alexander the Great.

On the Homeric theme, he created a number of sculptural and graphic sketches. The most successful among them is the marble statuette "Ajax Protects the Body of Patroclus" (1796, RM), the theme of which is male friendship conveyed in the tense movement of the figure of Ajax, in a wide step, in an energetic turn. The contrast between the dead stillness of Patroclus's drooping body and the strong muscular Ajax gives the scene a drama.

Almost all of Kozlovsky's works of recent years are imbued with heroic pathos, the spirit of courageous struggle. The bronze group "Hercules on a Horse" (1799, State Russian Museum) symbolically expresses the idea of ​​the victoriousness of Suvorov's campaigns.

The artist presented the commander in the form of a young man Hercules galloping on a horse. His figure is very vital and real. This group, to a certain extent, was a preparatory stage in the artist's work on the most significant, largest work - a monument to the great Russian commander A.V. Suvorov.

Hercules on horseback

With great enthusiasm, Kozlovsky began to create the monument in 1799. The sketches preserved in the Russian Museum testify to a long and complex compositional search, endless changes in the solution of the image.

Only in the last versions did the artist come to the idea of ​​presenting Suvorov as a "god of war" with a sword and shield in his hands. To glorify the strength and courage of the Russian commander, Kozlovsky turned to an allegorical form, creating an idealized generalized image of a warrior. There are no specific features of Suvorov's personality in it. The main idea expressed by the artist in the monument is to show courage, determination, unshakable will of the commander. The knight is depicted in an energetic but restrained movement. He swiftly, easily takes a step forward. A hand with a sword is raised high, as if for a blow. He covers the crown and papal tiara with a shield. The head is sharply turned to the side. In an open, young, proud face - an expression of calm courage.

The frontal solution of the statue is distinguished by solemnity, tranquility, and monumental clarity. When looking from the right, the movement of a warrior in an offensive impulse is especially noticeable; the viewer looking at the monument from the left side, more clearly feels the emphasized firmness, confident power of the figure. The pedestal, designed by Kozlovsky with the participation of L.N. Voronikhin, is harmoniously connected with the plastic solution.

monument to Suvorov

The massive, rhythmically dissected form is contrasted with the light and graceful figure of the hero. The monument was inaugurated on May 5, 1801 and installed in the depths of the Champ de Mars, near the Engineering Castle. Only in 1820, in connection with the reconstruction of buildings on the Champ de Mars.

The monument to Suvorov is the pinnacle of the sculptor's creativity. His appearance was the largest event in the artistic life of Russia. The history of Russian monumental sculpture of the 19th century begins with it.

Another outstanding work of Kozlovsky, the best decoration of the Peterhof cascades, was "Samson" - the central statue of the sculptural ensemble, to the creation of which the best Russian sculptors F.I.Shubin, I.P. Martos, F.F.Schedrin, F.G. Gordeev and others.

But, perhaps, the most significant was the role of Kozlovsky, whose work compositionally completed and united the sculptural complex of the Grand Cascade. The artist again turned to the Symbolic solution. The hero Samson personifies Russia, and the lion personifies the defeated Sweden. The powerful figure of Samson is presented by the artist in a complex spread, in tense movement.

Samson tearing the lion's mouth

Kozlovsky's Samson is one of the most outstanding works of decorative sculpture. The ensemble of Peterhof fountains, destroyed by the Nazis during the Great Patriotic War, has now been restored.

The last works of Kozlovsky were the tombstones of PI Melissino (1800) and SA Stroganova (1802, "Necropolis of the 18th century", Leningrad Museum of Urban Sculpture), filled with a heartfelt feeling of sorrow.

The life of the sculptor was cut short in the prime of his talent.

Cupid with an arrow

Genius. Pavlovsk Palace

Psyche

Ajax protects Patroclus's body

The ancient Roman god, was considered one of the indigenous Italic deities, who was worshiped throughout the Italian peninsula, and later in the provinces, where the cult of similar indigenous deities merged with the cult of the national Italic god. He was a member of the triad of gods who originally headed the Roman pantheon (Jupiter, Mars and Quirinus). According to most researchers, he was the god of wild nature, spontaneous fertility, everything unknown, located outside the fence of villages, and later war.

In ancient Italy, Mars was the god of fertility; it was believed that he could either send the loss of crops or the death of livestock, or turn them away. In his honor, the first month of the Roman year, in which the rite of expulsion of winter was performed, was named March. Later, Mars was identified with the Greek Ares and became the god of war. The Temple of Mars, already as the god of war, was built on the Champ de Mars outside the city walls, since the armed army was not supposed to enter the city.

Mars is the cleansing god, the god of lustration: the farmer appealed to him for the fertility of land, family, cattle and slaves, the Arval brothers during the rite of lustration in Rome. Mars accompanied the warriors going to war, accepted sacrificial gifts before the battle and appeared on the battlefield accompanied by the war goddess Bellona. The symbol of Mars was a spear kept in the dwelling of the Roman king - regia. There were also twelve shields, one of which, according to legend, fell from the sky during the time of King Numa Pompilius, and therefore was considered a guarantee of the invincibility of the Romans. The remaining eleven shields were made by order of the king as exact copies of the one that fell from the sky, so that enemies could not recognize and steal the original one. The commander, going to war, appealed to Mars, setting in motion the shields and spear hung in the palace. At the end of the war, they sacrificed a horse from the quadriga that won the race to the god of war.

Mars enjoyed great popularity during the period of the Republic: its images were minted on coins, God was awarded the epithets "winner", "fighting", "expanding the empire", "appeasement". In the western Roman provinces, the main gods of territorial and tribal communities were associated with the image of Mars. That is why some researchers have assumed that the early Roman ideas about Mars as the supreme deity continued to live in popular traditions.

Mars was portrayed as a warrior in full armor for battle, wearing a crested helmet and shield. His sacred animals are the wolf and the woodpecker, and he was accompanied by Fuga and Timor, personifications of flight and fear. In art, Mars is depicted as an armored warrior with a crested helmet. He was also often depicted on a chariot with a shield and spear going into battle. The shield symbolizes Rome, and according to legend, his shield fell from the sky to save the Romans.

The wife of Mars was the insignificant goddess Nerio (Neriene), who was identified with Venus and Minerva. It is said that Mars once fell in love with Minerva and asked the aged goddess Anna Perenna to act as a matchmaker. After some time, Anna Perenna informed him that Minerva agreed to become his wife. When Mars went after the bride and lifted the veil of the goddess presented to him, he found that before him was not Minerva, but the old woman Anna Perenna. The rest of the gods made fun of this joke for a long time.

From Mars, the vestal Rhea Sylvia gave birth to the twins Romulus and Remus, and therefore, as the father of Romulus, Mars was considered the ancestor and guardian of Rome.

The god of war Mars in ancient Greek mythology corresponds to the god Ares. But unlike the Greek Ares, Mars was revered in Rome above other gods, possibly because, according to legend, his sons Rem and Romulus founded this city. It was believed that Mars was endowed with three lives.

2) (planet)

The fourth farthest from the Sun and the seventh largest planet in the solar system. Mars, like other planets of the solar system, is named after one of the gods of the ancient pantheon - the god of war Mars (corresponding to the Greek Ares). The names for the satellites of the planet are similarly chosen: Phobos and Deimos - the names of the two sons of Ares who accompanied him in battle. Sometimes Mars is called the "Red Planet" - thanks to the iron (III) oxide that gives the surface a reddish tint.

Mars is almost half the size of Earth - its equatorial radius is 3396.9 km. (53% terrestrial). The surface area of ​​Mars is roughly equal to the land area on Earth. A sufficiently fast rotation of the planet leads to a noticeable polar contraction - the polar radius of Mars is about 21 km. less equatorial.

Mars is a terrestrial planet with a rarefied atmosphere. The features of the surface relief of Mars can be considered impact craters like lunar and volcanoes, valleys, deserts and polar ice caps like terrestrial ones. The Martian extinct volcano Olympus is the highest mountain in the solar system, and the Mariner Valley is the largest canyon. In addition, in June 2008, three articles published in Nature provided evidence for the largest known impact crater in the solar system in the northern hemisphere of Mars. It is 10,600 km long and 8,500 km wide, which is about four times the largest impact crater previously also found on Mars, near its south pole. In addition to the similarity of the surface topography, Mars has a rotation period and change of seasons similar to those on Earth, but its climate is much colder and drier than Earth.

Due to low pressure, water cannot exist in a liquid state on the surface of Mars, but it is likely that in the past conditions were different, and therefore the presence of primitive life on the planet cannot be ruled out. On July 31, 2008, water in a state of ice was discovered on Mars by NASA's Phoenix spacecraft.

The figure of the "Great God Mars", discovered by the French explorer Henri Lot among thousands of rock carvings in Tassili-n-Ajer (Sahara), has become almost a symbol of the visit of aliens to the Earth. Yuri Gagarin, struck by its resemblance to a spacesuit, signed for the reproductions and signed: "It looks like ... and unlike!" Erich von Däniken did not have doubts:

"Along with the images of animals, we are surprised by creatures in suits similar to a diving suit. The great god of Mars - as Lot christened the giant figure - originally had a height of 6 m ... There is no need to especially strain the fantasy that the Great God of Mars was depicted in a space or diving suit "On his mighty, clumsy shoulders lies a helmet, which is connected to the torso by a kind of hinge. Where the mouth and nose are, the helmet has various slits."

Drawings of the "Great God Mars".

Another image of the "Great God Mars".

Henri Lot himself was partly to blame for the sensation. In his book "In Search of the Frescoes of Tassili-n-Ager" he wrote:

One of these figures, discovered by us in a deep cave with an uneven vault, is about 6 m high ... The image itself is very primitive. There is a double oval in the center of the round head. We usually endow the Martians with this appearance. Martians! What a name for a sensational reportage! If the Martians have ever visited the Sahara, then this could have happened only very many centuries ago ... "The archaeologist joked, but the" researchers "immediately seized on his words.

In the film "Memories of the Future" Daniken uses a demagogic device: he shows a "Martian", and then - very naturalistic drawings of animals as proof that the locals were good at drawing. Conclusion - the drawing of "God" was also accurately copied from nature.

Daniken compares "God" to a spacesuit.

In fact, Tassili's drawings have been applied for millennia, with older drawings often side by side with newer ones. Scientists have identified several overlapping time periods - "images of large wild fauna" (12-6000 BC), "images of round heads", "pastoral", "horses and Libyan horsemen" and "camel period". They differ in the quality and technique of the execution of the drawings, and the artists clearly belonged to different tribes.

The drawing of the "god" belongs to the period of "round heads" (9500-7000 BC), when artists preferred to depict people with round heads without facial features. The fact that these are people is proved by drawings of "round-headed" ones with drawn breasts and genitals or with banal objects (spears, bows, baskets on their heads, etc.). Some "round-headed" ones are depicted horizontally, as if floating or soaring. Perhaps this is how dreams were portrayed, the shamanic experience of using drugs, or something like that.

One of the drawings of "roundheads" with banal objects in their hands.

The round-headed woman carries a basket on her head.

The "slits" in what Daniken mistook for a helmet is just a woman's "braid" hairstyle. They are still preferred by women of fashion from the Sahara. Attilio Gaudio in his book "The Civilizations of the Sahara" (Moscow, 1985) describes how such hairstyles are made: "The hair is first moistened with mud rubbed with vegetable oil, in which six different fragrant plants (including cloves) are previously soaked in crushed form... All hair on the head is divided into two halves: the back and the front ... On the back of the head they are taken in two and braided on each side in six freely falling braids. left. Each of these six thick braids consists of six thin braids, braided tightly from root to tip. "

Modern braid hairstyle.

If a specific woman is depicted on a rock, the artist must have fallen in love with her, if he spared no effort and time for a six-meter portrait!

Recently, there has been strong evidence that Lot and his colleagues were engaged in fraud. At least five cave paintings, from which they drew far-reaching conclusions about "Egyptian influence" and the like, were drawn by the French themselves. Other drawings were redrawn with distortions, corrupted when copied, or taken out of context. But the "great god" was sketched by them correctly. Versions where "flying saucers" are depicted next to him have already appeared today, not without the help of Photoshop.

The monument to the Russian commander A. V. Suvorov was solemnly opened on May 5, 1801, on the first anniversary of Suvorov's death, on the Field of Mars. The Generalissimo is represented in the image of the ancient Roman god of war, Mars. Suvorov himself, a recognized genius of military operations, was often called the "god of war" for his swiftness, inflexibility and speed. The author of the monument was the sculptor M. Kozlovsky, and the pedestal was made by the architect A. Voronikhin. Master F. Gordeev created a bas-relief on a pedestal, on which Glory and Peace are depicted in allegorical form, which overshadow a shield with the inscription: "Prince of Italy, Count Suvorov Rymniksky, 1801". These titles remind of Suvorov's loudest victories: on the Rymnik River during the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791, as well as in Italy, where the commander defeated the French army.

The monument to the famous warrior, which is known for not losing a single battle in his entire life, was conceived even during Suvorov's lifetime: in 1799, Emperor Paul I ordered to sculpt a triumphal monument, similar to those that were erected to the victorious generals of Ancient Rome. In 1801, the monument was unveiled on the Field of Mars, and in 1818 it was moved to Suvorovskaya Square, where it is currently located.

Suvorov is depicted with a sword, with which he strikes an invisible enemy, and a shield. With this shield, the commander covers the three-sided altar on which the Neapolitan and Sardinian crowns, as well as the papal tiara are located. Behind the altar, lilies grow from the ground - symbols of the peoples of Italy protected by Russia. The monument has become a symbol of the valor of Russian weapons and the invincibility of the Russian army.

How to get there

Get to the metro station "Nevsky Prospekt" or "Gostiny Dvor" (exit to the Griboyedov Canal) and walk along the Griboyedov Canal in the direction of decreasing the numbering of houses, focusing on the domes of the Savior on Spilled Blood. Having reached the Savior on Spilled Blood and after going around it, cross the Moika River. Then you need to walk along the Field of Mars towards the embankment and go to Suvorov Square, in the center of which a monument is erected.

Historical reference

1730-1800 - years of the life of Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov.
September 11, 1789 - the victory of the Russian and Austrian troops under the command of A. V. Suvorov over the Turkish army on the Rymnik River.
1799 - Paul I ordered to sculpt a triumphal monument in honor of Suvorov.
May 6, 1800 - Suvorov is buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
1801 - a monument to the great commander was erected on the Field of Mars.
1818 - the monument was moved to Suvorovskaya Square.

Legends and myths

During the war, the monument to Suvorov, like the monuments to Kutuzov and Barclay de Tolly, was not camouflaged. People believed that as long as the statues of the great commanders were intact, the enemy would not be in the city. The troops leaving for the front saluted the monument to the great commander.

There is a legend according to which they wanted to hide the monument to the Generalissimo in the basement of one of the houses located near Suvorovskaya Square. However, at night, one of those responsible for the transfer of the monument, Suvorov himself appeared in a dream: he wagged his finger and reminded that he had never been a coward during his life and would not want to be one after death. He angrily said that cowards are the first to die in war. The order to move the monument was canceled, and a few days later an enemy shell, flying past the bronze head of the monument, landed directly in the very basement in which they wanted to hide the monument.

In ancient Greece, he was not particularly revered and only in the warlike Sparta had some significance. However, the Romans established a solemn cult of it. The type of Pallas Athena was more suited to the character and gentle peaceful dispositions of the Hellenes. This goddess personifies the right war, waged for a just cause or in defense of the oppressed. Mars, on the other hand, is the embodiment of the bloodthirstiness and horrors of war: he does not understand whose side justice is on, and tries only to increase the number of victims and increase confusion.

Myths of Ancient Greece. Ares (Mars)

By a strange coincidence, the ancient arts never depicted this god fighting, but always in a peaceful position, as if resting after battles. Sometimes, like Athena Minerva, he holds a statue on his hand Nicky(Victory) and an olive branch. Most often, Mars is depicted with a shiny helmet on his head and with a sword or spear in his hand. The Greeks very rarely find individual statues of Mars, and only the sculptor Alcmenes of Athens finally sculpted the real type of the god of war, which later served as the prototype for all subsequent images of Mars. He is depicted on the statue of Alcmena as a stately, strong husband, with short curly hair and a gloomy thought on his brow. The hallmarks of this god are a shield, a spear, an olive branch, a wolf and a woodpecker.

Many monuments of art have survived, depicting the union of Mars and the goddess of love Venus, who in ancient times were considered spouses. Rubens wrote two beautiful pictures on this subject; one of them is in a museum in Florence.

Bathing of Venus and Mars. Painter Giulio Romano, 1526-1528

Mars took an active part in the war of the gods with the giants, he defeated several of them, but in turn was taken prisoner by the giants Otom and Ephialtes, who held him in chains for thirteen months. The group of the sculptor Fluxman depicts a fettered god guarded by giants.

Rough Mars could only be defeated by the goddess of beauty Venus. The union of war with love, strength with beauty answered completely to the Greek spirit, and from the union of Mars with Venus, the daughter of Harmony was born and Eros(among the Romans - Cupid), the god of love.

Roman artists most often and most willingly depicted Mars, succumbing to the charm of the goddess of beauty. In many paintings, these gods are given the features of the Caesars who reigned at that time and their wives. Of the newest works, the picture is very famous Poussin at the Louvre.

Mars, who, according to myths, was the enemy of the Greeks during the Trojan War, was wounded there on the battlefield Diomedes... The dart fired by this Greek hero was directed by Athena at Mars. Feeling intense pain, the god of war let out a cry like the war cry of thousands of fighting warriors, and went to Jupiter to complain about Athena. But the lord of the gods received him very unmercifully, saying: “Fickle and bloodthirsty god, stop bothering me with your complaints; of all the inhabitants of Olympus, I hate you alone, you love only strife, war and murder. You have inherited the obstinate and quarrelsome nature of your mother Hera, whom I cannot always force to obey my will. The suffering you are now experiencing is only the fruit of her advice. " There is a small painting in the Louvre David depicting Diomedes just throwing a javelin and Mars wounded and covered in blood.

The cult of Mars was very common among the Romans. Generals, going to war, went to the temple of this god to ask for his help against enemies; they touched his shield and spear, hung over the sacrificial altar, and loudly said, "Watch, Mars!" Special priests - salii("Dancers" or "dancers"), established by Numa Pompilius, performed various rituals in these temples, guarded the ancilia (shields) and organized solemn processions around the city, accompanied by dancing and singing. According to legend, during the terrible plague that devastated Rome, a shield fell from the sky, and the plague stopped after this shield (ancylia) was solemnly enclosed around the city. Then, according to his model, 11 more shields were made, which once a year, during the holidays in honor of Mars, were carried around the city by the Sali priests.

An ordinary companion of Mars was Bellona- the personification of a bloody battle, she drove the chariot of the god. She was accompanied by a whole retinue: Fear ( Phobos), Flight, Horror ( Deimos) and the Strife, which contributed to the death of Troy, throwing a golden apple (the apple of discord) among the goddesses. In ancient art, images of Bellona are very rare, and only in recent times she was often depicted in battle and decorative paintings.