Monument to Artist Vyacheslav Fyodorov in Plyos

Vyacheslav Andreyevich Fyodorov

Born in 1918 in Ivanovo-Voznesensk, into a poor family of weavers. His talent for drawing was hereditary: his grandfather was a wandering icon painter. In his youth, he entered the Ivanovo Art School, where his mentors were students of the famous Valentin Serov – I.N. Nefyodov and M.S. Pyrin. Graduating with honors in 1939, Fyodorov was soon drafted to the front. During the war, he was severely wounded, after which he moved to Samarkand, where the All-Union Academy of Arts had been evacuated.

In Samarkand, Fyodorov continued his studies, interacting and learning from leading masters of various schools and directions. Returning to Leningrad, he continued his studies under the guidance of Boris Ioganson, a student of the famous colorist Konstantin Korovin. In 1951, he graduated with honors from the Repin Institute and returned to his hometown, where he became a teacher at the Ivanovo Art School.

Installation of the Monument

The monument to Vyacheslav Fedorov, an outstanding Russian landscape painter, was installed in Plyos in 2013. The initiative for the monument's creation came from collector Yuri Marushkin, who had long nurtured this idea and involved the artist's relatives, acquaintances, and friends in its realization. The sculptor of the project was Vladimir Ostrizhnov, who had previously gained fame for creating the monument to the City Guard in Plyos. Ostrizhnov developed the project meticulously, consulting with people who knew Vyacheslav Fedorov well. The result was a sculpture capturing the artist in one of the last moments of his life – thoughtful and immersed in contemplation.

The monument's unveiling took place on December 21, 2013 – the day Vyacheslav Andreevich would have turned 95. The sculpture itself was cast in metal in the city of Zhukovsky and depicts the artist sitting on logs in the shade of a village house. This image was recreated based on one of Fedorov's last photographs. The unveiling of the monument gathered many admirers of Vyacheslav Andreevich's talent, including his relatives, friends, and colleagues.

The monument in Plyos is a symbol of respect and recognition of Vyacheslav Fedorov's talent, whose landscapes, imbued with the spirit of Russian nature, have forever remained in the hearts of art lovers. The sculpture, depicting the artist in his natural environment – in nature, emphasizes his inseparable connection with the land and forests he loved and depicted in his works.