Maiakovskii and the Mobile Monument

Alternatives to Iconoclasm in Russian Culture

Bibliographic Data

ID4217752
AuthorsJames Rann (0000-0001-8397-4502, corresponding author)
Year2012
Volume71
Issue4
Pages766-791
Publication date2012-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSlavic Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0037-6779 • E-ISSN: 2325-7784
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.5612/slavicreview.71.4.0766
OpenAlexW2506509188
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited22

This article examines Vladimir Maiakovskii's frequent references to statues and monuments in his poetry in relation to traditions of iconoclasm in Russian culture in order not only to shed light on the poet's attitude toward the role of the past in the creation of a new culture but also to investigate the way in which the destruction, relocation, and transformation of monuments, both in the urban landscape and in art, reflects political change in Russia. James Rann demonstrates that, while Maiakovskii often invoked a binary iconoclastic discourse in which creation necessitates destruction, his poetry also articulated a more nuanced vision of cultural change through the symbol of the moving monument: the statue is preserved but also transformed and liberated. Finally, an analysis of "Vo ves' golos" shows how Maiakovskii's myth of the statue helped him articulate his relationship to Soviet power and to his own poetic legacy

Aesthetics · Art · Art history · Iconoclasm · Literature · Mythology · Order (exchange · Poetry · Political science · Politics · Relation (database · Statue · Symbol (formal · Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies · History · Landscape and Cultural Studies · Law · Philippine History and Culture · Philosophy

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