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- Sculptor to the blackboard: the first exhibition of Stepan Erzi's works in half a century opened in the Tretyakov Gallery
Sculptor to the blackboard: the first exhibition of Stepan Erzi's works in half a century opened in the Tretyakov Gallery
The sculptor Stepan Erzya entered the history of art as the conqueror of Cebracho, the "Russian Rodin" and the "rustic Michelangelo" — as he was called abroad. A new exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery, dedicated to his 150th birthday in 2026, tells about the path of the master. She has combined more than 80 masterpieces. Izvestia was among the first visitors. Our article tells about how an ordinary carver from the hinterland gained worldwide recognition, found his main artistic treasure in Argentina and made the name of his native people famous all over the world.
The Kebracho Tamer
Stepan Dmitrievich Nefedov, a native of Mordovia, began his career as a simple carver. Together with his brother, they created wooden iconostases in their small homeland. The sculptor was immensely proud of his origin, so he decided to take a pseudonym in honor of his native ethnic group. In 1906, for the first time, he signed works with the name of Erzya, under which he entered the world history of art.
The main task of the artist's life was to unlock the potential of the super—durable South American breeds - the Cebracho and Algarrobo. The sculptor claimed that he did not impose his will on the material, but only helped to reveal the beauty hidden inside, turning growths, mouthguards and the rough texture of the bark into a living fabric of portraits and figures. Each change of material reflected a clear evolution of the artist's style and technique.
— When Erzya came to a new place, he used the material available there: in the Urals and in Italy he carved out of marble, and while in Argentina, he could not pass by the trees that grow in those parts, — Sofia Zolochevskaya, the curator of the exhibition, told Izvestia. — He had a very keen sense of the culture of the place and realized that not only sleepers can be made from kebracho. Erzya strove to master it and became the first artist in the world who saw deep aesthetic potential in this iron wood.
Algarrobo, while inferior to cebracho in hardness, attracted the sculptor with its noble palette, changing shades from pale pink to deep chocolate. It was physically difficult to work with these rocks: ordinary tools blunted and broke. The craftsman himself upgraded the drills and cutters to tame the unyielding fibers. The complex, ornate texture, natural cracks and growths did not dictate their conditions to the author, but suggested future silhouettes. This made it possible to create highly polished faces, smoothly turning into a wild, rough bark. It was this virtuoso synthesis of man-made grace and the primordial power of nature that cemented Erzya's status as an innovator of world plastics.
From Jesus to Medusa
For his skill, Erza was rightly called the "Russian Rodin" and the "rustic Michelangelo." Moreover, the outstanding Italian occupied a special place in the sculptor's work — he was inspired by the tradition of celebrating pristine nature and its natural reality, rooted in ancient culture. And the images of great historical figures worried the master throughout his life.
A visitor to the exhibition can verify this by entering the first hall. There are sculptures of Beethoven, Michelangelo, Socrates. A deep interest in ancient history and culture was vividly embodied in the expressive image of the "Jellyfish" in the next section of the exhibition "Hostage to Beauty".
— We can say that Erzya was a hostage of female beauty, which stirred him very sensually, emotionally, — says Zolochevskaya.
The artist also turned to evangelical subjects. The exhibition features a sculpture of the head of Jesus — not the canonical face of the Savior, but a face with an upward gaze, carved from a rough block. This texture is one of the characteristic techniques of Erzi.
The master also explored his own image. The exhibition includes a series of self—portraits in various techniques, from early plastic experiments to mature works. In them, Erzya conveyed the facial features and the inner state of the model with amazing accuracy.
The last section is "Faces of the world". Erzya masterfully captured the essence of the national character of the inhabitants of Argentina, Spain, China, Indochina and Bolivia. A special place is occupied by portraits of fellow Mordovians, in which the sculptor not only recorded ethnographic details, but also created poetic images.
He carried everything with him
This is the first large-scale exhibition of Stepan Erzi's works at the Tretyakov Gallery in half a century. He was a sought-after artist, and his handwriting remains recognizable and cannot be copied. Although there are regular attempts to forge masterpieces, it is impossible to do so, says Lyudmila Narbekova, director of the Saransk Museum.
"The main reason lies in the material itself: it is almost impossible to find authentic pieces of rare South American wood in Russia and Europe," she told Izvestia. — Of course, if you really want this rare wood, you can get it in Argentina or other Latin American countries, but the availability of the material alone is not enough. These breeds have been practically exterminated. And to subdue the iron tree, you need a commensurate genius and a tremendous natural talent.
The exceptional status of the Moscow exhibition is also evidenced by the fact that almost 40 of the presented masterpieces are taken directly from the permanent exhibition of the Saransk Museum — these are recognized works of the first row. The curators collected 10 more unique works from closed museum collections. Previously, they had almost never been exhibited anywhere, so for visitors to the New Tretyakov Gallery this is the rarest chance to see the author's treasures hidden from the general public for the first time. The pearl of the exhibition is considered to be "Calypso" — a beautiful lyrical work, masterfully carved from Ural marble.
To the homeland with firewood
Having spent more than a quarter of a century abroad, Stepan Erzya has always maintained a strong spiritual connection with his homeland. In 1950, after 23 years of living in Argentina, being at the peak of world fame, he made a firm decision to return. The Soviet Union allocated an entire steamship to transport the sculptor and his legacy.
"The uniqueness of this return was that the master practically did not sell his works abroad — he carefully preserved and brought all his creative assets to the USSR," Lyudmila Narbekova, director of the Saransk Museum, shared with Izvestia. — Moreover, in addition to the finished masterpieces, Erzya brought with him a huge amount of luggage to his homeland — about 300 untouched pieces of Latin American kebracho and algarrobo.
To others, this idea seemed like an oddity. From the point of view of ordinary people, the sculptor was carrying tons of heavy technical firewood across the ocean, suitable only for railway sleepers. However, for the master himself, these shapeless blocks and boulders of ironwood were an invaluable treasure.
But not all the works were brought to the Tretyakov Gallery. The largest work of Stepan Erzi remained in Saransk — the monumental sculpture "Moses", which simply could not be delivered to Moscow due to its size. This masterpiece weighs about 2 tons at a height of 2 m.
The second giant in his legacy is the famous sculpture "Leo Tolstoy" weighing about 600 kg. Despite the parameters, she arrived at the New Tretyakov Gallery. There are other large-scale objects that can be seen until October 11.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
