Title: Vlastʹ i monument
Description: This monograph is the first study devoted to the creation of imperial monuments in Russia set in the context of a similar trend in Western Europe. The publication spans the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth, when Russian monumental sculpture flourished producing striking images of Russian Orthodox emperors in keeping with the rediscovered Byzantine tradition. As all monuments reproduced in the book, except for a few surviving examples, were lost in the first half of the twentieth century, the archival photographs that the author has compiled make a unique record of this branch of architectural, sculptural, and political history. The period has not been not fully studied in either Russian or European art history, and this study fills a gap in material on the evolution of monuments to kings and emperors. 

Especially curious are the divergent styles in Russia and Western Europe; in Russia the Byzantine and sacral tradition of symbolic monuments to national leaders persisted, but in Western Europe specific leaders were usually shown in the context of historical events. The author also points out the exceptional number of talented sculptors active at the time such as A. M. Opekushin, M. A. Chizhov, M. P. Popov, N. A. Lavetskii, I. N. Shreder, and P. P. Zabello. The book offers an extensive chronological table from which the reader can draw parallels between imperial memorials constructed in Russia and those erected in Western European countries, especially the united German and Italian states. There is a name index with biographical notes on the sculptors and architects. Many of the 500 photographs are published in this book for the first time. 

The author also explores the way architects placed the monuments among a city{u2019}s buildings, squares and parks, in which the monuments often became a central feature. Biographical sketches of forty-nine sculptors and architects. The author holds a doctorate in art history. He is a Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Arts and the author of such books as The Byzantine Style in Russian Architecture. Second Half of the 19th and Early 20th Centuries (Moscow, 2008) and Nikolai Vladimirovich Sultanov. Portrait of an Architect of the Historicism Period (St. Petersburg, 2009). He has also written more than 120 articles. -- Summary written by John W. Emerich, Bronze Horseman Literary Agency.
Subjects: Monuments, History, Public sculpture
Places: Russia (Federation)
Time periods: 19th century, 20th century