Sculpted portraits of scientists from the collection of the State Museum of St. Petersburg History

The article is devoted to the analysis of sculpted portraits of the scientists from the collection of the State Museum of St. Petersburg History. The works of L.N. Barbash, V.V. Gushchina, A.V. Degtyarev, L.V. Kalinin, N.S. Kochukov, A.A. Murzin, V.G. Stamov, and M.M. Kharlamova are considered both from the standpoint of diverse expressive techniques used by the artists and in the context of their models’ personalities, professional qualities and contributions to the advancement of science. The sculptures analyzed here portray individuals with ambivalent character, broad dynamics of emotions, inner feelings, passion for scientific research, and firm civic stance. Most of the works of plastic art discussed in the article were created in the 1960s which saw a shift from the portraits of a certain average type to those depicting interesting, charismatic persons capable of providing inspiration and leadership. The artists often chose the heroes whose moral and civic views reflected the mood and contradictions of the era. It is concluded that sculpture has a strong potential for commemorating not only particular individuals but their historical time, ideas and creative legacy as well.