Vera Mukhina can be safely called a famous sculptor of the Soviet era. The monument "Worker and Collective Farm Girl", familiar to many, is her work. She was a favorite sculptor of Stalin himself, but during her lifetime she was not allowed to hold a single solo exhibition.
early years
Vera Ignatievna Mukhina was born on June 19, 1889 in Riga. Her father was a wealthy merchant, and her maternal grandfather was a well-known pharmacist. As a child, Vera bathed in luxury, but suffered mentally from the loss of loved ones. At two years old, she was left without a mother, she died of tuberculosis. The closest person to her was dad.
Soon they moved from Riga to Feodosia. There Vera began to draw. Soon, his father passed away, and his brothers took custody of Vera. Fortunately, they were responsible and sensitive people. When Vera graduated from the gymnasium in Feodosia, she was transferred to Moscow. There she was able to get a decent art education.
Vera worked in the workshops of famous painters Ivan Mashkov and Konstantin Yuon. There, she gradually realized that her form and volume carried away more than color. Then it was decided to go to study with the sculptor Nina Sinitsina. In her workshop, she began to try to sculpt from clay.
In 1912, Mukhina went to France, where Emil Antoine Bourdelle became her teacher. In his exactingness and criticism, the master was merciless. This tempered the character of Vera. In Paris, she studied the course of anatomy, spent hours drawing antique sculptures in the Louvre, and attended cubist exhibitions. After that, Vera stopped just admiring art. She began to perceive it as a holy craft, in which the master plays a major role.
During the First World War, Mukhina returned to her homeland. She served as a sister of mercy in the hospital for four years. There she met her future husband, surgeon Alexei Zamkov. During this period, she almost abandoned art.
