Проблема научного подхода к изучению родословной скульптора-монументалиста, народного художника России В. М. Клыкова

Abstract

The famous Soviet and Russian sculptor V. M. Klykov (1939-2006), winner of state prizes of the RSFSR and the USSR, People's Artist of Russia, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, was an ambiguous figure in the eyes of his contemporaries. His caught the attention not only of professional critics, but also of ordinary people. Many publications and memoirs dedicated to the sculptor had been published during his lifetime. However, V. M. Klykov himself gave contradictory information on the history of his family in his interviews. At the same time, a complete and objective assessment of his life and work and his role in art is impossible without studying his social origin and family history, which determined the relevance of this work. Until now, the history of the Klykov family has been reconstructed from stories and memoirs of those who knew him personally. The study has also been hampered by the fact that there are misconceptions about V. M. Klykov’s ancestors that often spring from desire to create a certain image that fits the worldview of the famous sculptor. The purpose of the study has been to identify and analyze the documentary sources on the subject: archival materials, documents from the museum collection and periodicals. The fonds of the State Archive of the Kursk Region (GAKO) have provided most sources. However, destruction of the archives during the Civil War and the Nazi occupation resulted in a lack of documents and photographs from the early 20th century. Some information has been found in databases available on the Internet. A number of documents are being introduced into scientific use for the first time. The study is based on the key principles of historicism, consistency, and objectivity, which allows the author to avoid mythologization of the sculptor. Comparative analysis of the identified sources has allowed the author to trace V. M. Klykov’s genealogy up to the mid-19th century, to identify the names of his ancestors, to note the family’s difficult fate through the pivots of Russian history, to determine V. M. Klykov’s ancestors and to explore their biographies, achievements, and social status. Several representatives of the Klykov family have been identified, who showed themselves worthily in the military service of the Fatherland. In addition, the author has refuted the tale of the sculptor's grandfather ‘s de-kulakization and persecution by the Soviet power. The author concludes that peasant origin and environment in which the sculptor grew up left an imprint on his worldview, and therefore, on the theme of his monumental creativity and ideas that he defended in public life.