The Gifts and Trials of Glory. Vera Mukhina and Alexei Zamkov
The author of this article poses the question of the impact of personal and emotional experience on the creative destiny of female artists. In the center of attention is the biography of sculptor Vera Mukhina, who was married once – in 1918 to practicing physician Alexei Zamkov. Their family union is anexample of mutual giving and provision of all-round support. During the severe years of the Civil War Mukhina’s husband insisted that she leaves her position of medical nurse and devotes herself solely to art. Thanks in no small part to his support, Vera succeeded in finding her own familiar style, fully developing her talent of a monumentalism sculptor and constantly taking part in sculpture contests. When Alexei was faced by difficulties in his professional career the already famous Mukhina was the one to help him out.
Key words: Vera Mukhina, Alexei Zamkov, sculptor, doctor, family union, mutual support.
