Wooden Fantasies. Alexander Vygovsky

Art is an eternal mystery and it is pointless to explain it. 

Mathematical formulas or theorems don’t work here. 

It’s important to understand that this mystery is either present or absent.

Alexander Vyhovsky

Alexander Vygovsky. "Mister Universe. Birth of the new day”. "Sensei"." Noble, but Completely Devoid of Inheritance Ivanhoe Knight".

From a formal point of view, Vygovsky’s sculptures can be compared to Japanese okimono, only performed in his own manner. After all, even the stories in these kinds of arts are similar: women, children, musicians, characters of popular beliefs, and various fantastic creatures. But one has only to look at the sculptures of Alexander Vygovsky to understand there is little truth in this comparison there. Japanese masters have always striven for simplicity, calm and balanced forms; Vygovsky is complete unpredictability, pretentiousness, ingenuity, allegory, and secret, double or even triple meaning.

In his works, there really is something from surrealism. First of all, it is the acceptance of illusions; the inclusion in the world of ideas and fantasies, that is beautiful but sometimes terrible and ugly.

In each of his works, elegant, allegorical, pointedly rough, through a subtle, and sometimes bitter irony, one can see the love for his land, for man, for history. Vygovsky’s art is a clear civic position filled with profound philosophical and political content. The comprehensive interests and the ability to observe and analyze help him to orient in the modern world.

At the same time, it is useless to seek influence or equivalents in Vygovsky’s work; he is a vivid representative of boundless and incomprehensible contemporary art. Without becoming a follower of any school, he creates his own worlds; he adds a bit of savage disposition to the search of the point of being, and to the tricks of the soul functioning – a handful of insanity.

Vygovsky is not just original; he is free from any dogmas, frames, and stamps: a samurai on a toy horse, a priest on a skateboard, a noble knight with boxershorts attached to a lance. Compositions, each is more impudent than the previous one, reflect his own inner world, often mocking the established norms.

The works of Alexander Vygovsky don’t even require the author’s signature because he is the only one of a kind and its’ impossible to mimic him. These sculptures are immediately recognized due to the original story and author’s message clearly expressed. What is more, the audience reads these messages in their own way, depending on their own worldview, upbringing, education, and general development.

However, Vygovsky never leaves the viewer alone with his conjectures. Expertly mastering the artistic word, he refers to those few artists commenting on their works. It helps to perceive images emotionally and intellectually at the same time.

Icon in Four Nights

A simple hobby turned into something bigger when he began to create small carvings on a religious theme, icons, and crucifixes for sale.

I carved one figure during one night; if it took more time, then I didn’t cope with it. For example, the image of the Virgin Mary with the baby was to be ready in four days: two nights for two figures; everything else (landscape behind, carved edge, etc.) should have taken two more nights.

He sold them mostly abroad. This allowed the artist to survive; and the author’s works got in the USA, Canada, Japan, South Korea, France, Spain, Greece, Israel, Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Russia, Argentina...

Only eight works of this period were preserved by Alexander Vygovsky himself: “Transfiguration”, “And Your Name Will Be Glorious”, “Sorrow”, “Your Kingdom Will Come”, “In Pilate”, “Father, Gorgive Them, as They Don’t Know what They Are Doing”, “Procession”, “Psalm 23. The Lord is my Shepherd”.

Alexander Vygovsky. “Father, Gorgive Them, as They Don’t Know what They Are Doing”.

Mister Universe

As a memory of those distant and difficult times, they (icons - ed.) are priceless for me, but one morning I woke up and realized that I want to do something more than just a beautiful carved picture.

And Vygovsky began to construct his own reality. His bold compositions confirmed an incredible desire to break out of the established norms and represented the breakdown of traditional values. And the artist’s rich imagination constantly produced new incredible stories, then realized in creative adventures, often ironic or just funny, and sometimes very deep and serious. The only thing that you will not see in Vygovsky’s sculptures is banalities.

He uses his own ideas of creating the world, which seem to the artist to be filled with more content than traditional representations and dogmas; and this is the main feature of his nature: not to obey, not to be boring and monotonous! Therefore, challenge and scandal dominate in the works of Vygovsky. For example, the first man doesn’t just materialize from dirt and dust, and the earth gives birth to its first-born child in torment, like a real mother (“The Sixth Day”), and the Universe in his imagination is a fat man with a cigarette in his hands, covered with the stars-moles (“Mister Universe”).

Alexander Vygovsky. “The Sixth Day”

In the Twilights of Own Soul

Having taken off the robe and freed from the pressure of all the prescriptions of the official philosophical and theological thought, the artist devoted himself to solving hitherto untouchable problems. And the very first among them is his own essence.

The figurative and metaphorical approach allowed the master to show his own soul growing roots into the earth (“Soul”); to express how multi-layered and heterogeneous it is (“Self-portrait with Ropes”); and here, it is ready to fly to the sky, but is still tied to the navel by the invisible thread (“Coma”). However, there is nothing to be afraid of, because “There is No Death”!

Alexander Vygovsky. “Self-portrait with Ropes”

Yes, I believe in reincarnation. And the first Christians also believed, as well as the holy fathers spoke of reincarnation in the 6th century A.D. But in reality, no one knows, as well as no priest is aware of how everything actually happens in the next world. But I’m 100% sure that it’s not like they write in books about it and tell it in the church. I have long been not obsessed with finding an answer to this question, because no matter what we’d have imagined, whatever we’d have believed, it would still be different. We are so small, and our minds are so imperfect that we can’t imagine how things will really happen even in general terms.

All these are very serious, important things, especially if they concern not someone impersonal, but you in particular. And, as a rule, all normal people also take themselves very seriously except for Vygovsky! One has only to look at his “Self-Portrait with a Sword on the Deck against the Background of a Stormy Ocean”. The first thing that comes to mind is that the author is absolutely crazy, because who, except him, will decide to portray himself as a nonentity, one on the front side and the other from the wrong side, with the traditional Ukrainian toad in the chest (expression traditional for Ukraine which means ‘to be green with envy’, ‘very greedy’ – transl.)?

Self-ironic, light, witty, he can laugh at himself. So, he has a chance not to turn into a gloomy-solemn scarecrow, which is about to burst from awareness of his own importance.

Alexander Vygovsky. “Self-Portrait with a Sword on the Deck against the Background of a Stormy Ocean”

New-Secular Priests

Subtle humor, irony, sometimes satire are present in almost all the sculptures of Vygovsky. The artist makes the viewer smile, and not by chance: the artist with his creative credo pushes us again and again to the idea that all the world’s stupidities are committed with a serious expression.

The sculptures “Cheerful Monk”, “Bishop”, as well as the “Procession” are a comic opinion of the author on fellow priests. It’s like a 3D illustration of the book ‘New-Secular Priests and Presvyteras’ by Alexander Vygovsky published in 2015; this book is a collection of cheerful and instructive stories from the life of priests. And although the church life is sufficiently closed and overgrown with numerous myths and prohibitions, the author is not afraid to show us priests as ordinary people with their joys and problems.

Alexander Vygovsky. “Bishop”.

Madam Broshkin and Others 

The artist pays attention not only to the clergy; Alexander Vygovsky turns his ironic look at secular people too. First of all, the representatives of the so-called creative professions with all their schticks (“Bohemia”, “Melpomene”) got what they deserve. The author also didn’t forget about the tortured intellectuals – the modern teachers (“Sensei”). Another thing is their former students, such as “Sergeant Petrenko: Three Children ...”, “Madame Broshkin”, “The Kid is Real Eagle” are real whiffets.

Alexander Vygovsky.  “Bohemia”.

Just Relax!

But the viewer shouldn’t get the impression that Vygovsky is a grumbler, who doesn’t like anything, and the only thing he does is trying to find some drawbacks in people. No, it can be cheerful, fun and direct, like those two in the sculpture “Everybody’s Dancing”! Made of ordinary toothbrushes, elegantly called “plastic”, it doesn’t encourage the search for the meaning of life. Just move, dance and have fun!

You shouldn’t look for some hidden meaning in such sculptures by Alexander Vygovsky as “Africa. Zombie. Basketball”, “Childhood”, “Oh-oh-oh-fu-u-uck!”. Just relax!

Alexander Vygovsky. “Oh-oh-oh-fu-u-uck!”

Something about Boggarts

Since childhood he was fond of mysticism, everything secret and supernatural. And it was also interested in him. Or did he just think so?

Boggart lives in my house too. Rather, I like to think that he lives in my house. Frankly speaking, I don’t know what does exist in this world and what doesn’t. Therefore, I don’t categorically deny anything and don’t rule it out.

Vygovsky has several boggart-themed sculptures; they are “My Little Brownie”, “Fear”. These are pretty nice creatures that shouldn’t be afraid of, because they ... are only the figment of our imagination!

Alexander Vygovsky. “My Little Brownie”

Born in the USSR

Fun is fun, as they say, but there’s a job waiting. And Alexander Vygovsky returns to serious things again. When the master was asked which sculpture was his favorite, he pointed to “Born in the USSR”. Stone head with closed eyes, stopped ears and lips shut tightly. A frail, weak tree sprouts from the sinciput of this head and rams are grazing nearby.

Alexander Vygovsky. “Born in the USSR”

I don’t really want to offend anyone, but it’s better not to rely on such heads. And I’m not the exception because I’m also made of that Soviet dough.

Many works both sculptural and literary are devoted by the author to the Holodomor in 1932-1933. When you look at his work “May Day Parade of 1933”, the lines from the poem by Alexander Vygovsky pop up in the mind:

Oh, mummy, I am starving,

My head is drizzling, going around.

I know, my child,

But we have nothing.

And even by the well

I can’t find any grain.

All the branches and leaves

Were eaten by neighbor kids.

(-transl.)

Why does it make me so touched? I don’t know, as I never suffered famine. But it’s physically difficult for me to read a book, listen to music or watch a telecast about the Holodomor. Perhaps in my previous life, I died in one of these famines. Now I can’t even attend a meeting dedicated to this topic. Tears come to my eyes. I step aside, turn my head away so people couldn’t see me crying...

Alexander Vygovsky. “May Day Parade of 1933”

Favorite Color is Yellow-Blue

There is one popular song of the famous Russian singer, Andrey Makarevitch, and it has such lines as “Don’t be bent by the changeable world, you’d better bend it by yourself…”. Many of us sang this song with Andrey Makarevitch. It’s just the majority quickly forgets the sung words, but for Alexander Vygovsky these words have long become an absolutely conscious vital position. “Mimicry” is definitely not for him.

If you really want and stand on your own, the world will bend to you sooner or later. There’s an interesting thing. If you stand on your own, although it hurts you, you are broken and twisted, even if you didn’t win, but stood firm, you’re still a winner. Someone will call it stubbornness. But for me, it’s a matter of principle. Civilization is moved by those who suffer.

Alexander Vygovsky. “Mimicry”.

Alexander Vygovsky has quite a lot of works dedicated to the image of both Ukraine before Maidan and modern Ukraine. But this is not red guilder rose, not nightingale singing and not other familiar symbols of the native land. His Ukraine is covered with wounds, pierced with wire and shot through with bullets, with spurts of flame on her head (“The Crisis of Middle Age”).

A series of patriotic works is the author’s attempt to give acute social characteristics to individual subjects and entire social strata exclusively by artistic means. The image is built on the brink of grotesque, when the frank humor of the situation is replaced by irony, expressed plastically. Intentional deformation of images and figures, which Alexander often resorts to, is not a riot, but demonstrates creative freedom; it is a mean of revealing the underlying problems which the author responds to.

Alexander Vygovsky. “The Crisis of Middle Age” 

They say that art has no nationality. Perhaps there’s a grain of truth in such a statement, but not in relation to Alexander Vygovsky. In his work there is a nationality; he is Ukrainian, and this can’t be hidden.

“I don’t hate someone else’s. But I love my own more than someone else’s”, says Alexander Grigorievich.

Of course, he is a patriot. Only his love for Ukraine is not blind passion and admiration, but the work of a clear mind and the desire for perfection.

Over time, an inexorable condemnation of all bad that was left and developed was added to the delight caused by the changes occurred in his state after the overthrow of the communist regime and gaining independence. His protest against cynicism, indifference, against false power, stamping the honor and dignity of the people, against the slave mentality was embodied in completely concrete and solid material form (“Dictatorship”, “Troglodyte”, “Ukrainian Themis” sculptures).

“However, the Ukrainians are a unique people. They don’t have reverence for the authorities, and they will demolish anybody who pesters them”, Alexander Vygovsky is convinced. He was a member of the Maidan, and afterward created several sculptures in which he commemorated the memory of those events. This is the above-mentioned sculpture “The Crisis of Middle Age”, as well as “Heavenly Hundred” and “Revolution”.

Alexander Vygovsky. “Revolution”.

In addition, in November 2016, a commemorative sign “Heavenly Hundred” was opened in Belaya Tserkov. Three men with weapons in their hands are protecting Ukraine. It is impossible to discern their nationality, age, facial features. Most likely, before the Maidan, they had never seen each other, but in those cold February days they became brothers and died for a common lofty idea.

By the way, this monument was installed by three men also, but they had been acquainted for several decades.

I hesitated for almost a year (I didn’t have a picture of the future monument in my head for a long time), but finally agreed. We worked three together: the ideas were my, the technical part belonged to Alexander Stefanov (we became friends in the first year of the institute), and the golden hands belonged to Father Michael, the prior of the church in the village of Pylypcha, Belotserkovsky district (we lived in the same room during seminary training, and we are friends since that time).

But when the memorial had already been opened, I got such a wave of negativity that the desire to say something, to prove to people who hear only themselves simply disappeared. The main complaints were addressed to our vision of Crimea on the map of Ukraine; it turned out to be broken. But is it different now? Isn’t it broken? With God’s help, there will be the Ukrainian government on the peninsula again, and then I will gladly correct our installation.

It’s true: people treat Alexander Vygovsky’s creativity differently; some admire, others don’t want to admit it at all. But he continues to fight with windmills, although he has repeatedly vowed to stop this ungrateful business. But who knows what in this world is grateful, and what is not?

“I only know that I don’t know anything”,  Alexander Vygovsky repeats for Socrates. “But others don’t know even this...”.