Do you know the Dostoevsky statue in Baden-Baden? ~ The ultimate sculptural work that I was most impressed with in Germany!

Do you know the Dostoevsky statue in Baden-Baden? ~ The ultimate sculptural work that I was most impressed with in Germany!

I traveled to Germany, Switzerland and Italy in 2022. The purpose of the trip was to visit places associated with the great Russian writer Dostoevsky.

Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)Wikipedia.

I'll explain why I embarked on this journey above.Takahiro Ueda, "Dostoevsky and His Wife on a Fateful Journey: A Journey of Madness and Love in Western Europe" - A journey that retraces a once-in-a-lifetime journey with his wife that changed the destiny of a great writer.I will not go into it here because I have already told you about it in my article on the Dostoevsky statue in Baden-Baden, which was the most moving work of art I saw on this trip.

Below is a travelogue I previously wrote(13) Touring Dostoevsky's Famous Sites in Baden-Baden: A Walk in One of Europe's Best Recreation Areas, Famous for Its Casinos."The following is an excerpt from

This original article explains the city of Baden-Baden, Germany, and its connection to Dostoevsky, so if you are interested, please refer to this article. Dostoevsky may have the image of being a difficult novelist, but he had such a tumultuous life that he is probably more interesting than the novel itself.

I too fell in love with Dostoevsky because of his tumultuous life, his personality, and above all, his life together with his wife, Mrs. Anna.

This travelogue hardly touches on the theory of his works or ideology. It is solely a "hybrid work of biography and travelogue" written specifically about his life. Currently serialized inTravels to Buddhist sites in India and Sri LankaWe hope you will also enjoy this travelogue, which is the predecessor to

Let's begin the main part of the article.

The Dostoevsky statue in Baden-Baden - the most impressive sculpture of my trip!

There is something I would like to share with you all. I want to say this out loud to the whole world. I want to tell the whole world that here in Baden-Baden we have a masterpiece of the highest level in the world.

I first learned of the statue's existence during my preliminary research for my trip, when I was looking for Dostoevsky's house on a map. I did not find "Dostoevsky's house," but instead I found this statue of Dostoevsky.

The statue of Dostoevsky stands in a park a short distance from the center of the city. I decided to go and see it myself. I had no idea that it would become one of the best sculptures of my lifetime.

If you follow the road straight north from Dostoevsky's house, you will come to a tree-lined street along the park. I was told that if I continued straight on this path, I would encounter a statue of Dostoevsky. I continued walking along the path for a while.

Hmm? Ah... there it is! There's something standing there! Is that it? That's Dostoevsky!

The couple in front of me must have been crushed by the Oriental who suddenly began to get excited in the middle of the road.

Statue of Dostoevsky looking toward Baden-Baden from the top of the hill. Is the casino at the end of his gaze?

Oh... what a melancholy sight...

The statue was created by Moscow sculptor Leonid Baranov and erected in 2004.

Standing by him and looking in the same direction. What a sad view. He was placed in a very bad place, in a very bad way. I wished he would at least turn his back to the casino. But it had to be this way. This is why it is so meaningful. It is a horrible sculpture.

Then I saw his face and I huffed.

Dostoevsky stands powerless and stunned with a sullen look in his eyes. There is an air of melancholy and gambling madness in the air. Is there such a sad sculpture? This is not the great writer Dostoevsky. Here is only a poor man who has lost in life. The sculptor must be very attached to Dostoevsky to have captured him so beautifully in this sleepwalking, or indeed nightmarish, life. Otherwise, he would not have been able to capture his figure so beautifully. It would be impossible if he did not know Dostoevsky inside and out.

On my way home, I turned and looked at this statue over and over again. Each time I looked back, a sad thought came to mind. I was completely taken by this statue. I visited it almost every day during my stay in Baden-Baden.

The second time he came, I finally realized that the strange sphere on which he was riding was a roulette ball. And the pedestal beneath it was, of course, a roulette board. A crushed and cracked ball on an egg, and a crumpled roulette board. Can we not read here the mind of Dostoevsky, a somnambulist sinking into madness?

You may not be able to see it in the photo, but Dostoevsky's sadness on a rainy day is ...

They stand there all the time, rain or wind, spring, summer, fall or winter. Looking out over the casino...

This is a photo from another evening visit, but let's take a closer look at the details of this statue here.

The first thing you notice is his coat. You can see the texture of the tattered coat. It is immediately apparent that he has no money to mend his jacket or afford a new one. Then there are the unusually deep "dustings" on both elbows and on his right chest. What is this? It is true that these places are prone to wrinkling and rubbing if they are bent or moved. However, I feel that it is exaggerated. Then I suddenly realized. I wondered if this might be a mark made when I clutched it tightly with my hand. If I crossed my arms as if I was hugging myself and grasped my clothes, it would be like the "dust" on my right breast.

Dostoevsky is overcome by the anxiety of not knowing what will happen tomorrow, his uncontrollable passion for gambling, remorse for having lost his money, and a sense of shame. Dostoevsky grips his body as if to suppress his trembling. In such a posture, he staggered away from the casino like a somnambulist and looked back in the direction from which he had come... This image may have captured that moment.

She looks as if she is sleepwalking, and her arms hang down weakly from her slightly hunched back. Both of his fists are slightly closed, and you can see his uncontrollable emotions.

Dostoevsky is truly a sleepwalker in a nightmare. Is Leonid Baranov the genius who created this statue?

Top of my list of sculptures is Michelangelo'sPietà."The Louvre MuseumThe Nike of Samothrace.It is.

It cannot be compared to these, but it is surely comparable in its impact. And the theatrical effect of this "Dostoevsky Statue in Baden-Baden" may rival that Bernini.

Bernini is the genius sculptor who designed the interior of St. Peter's Basilica and the piazza. Bernini transforms the space in which his sculptures are placed into a theater. He incorporates not only the sculpture itself but also the space itself into his art. For more information, please click here.The beauty of St. Peter's Basilica, designed by Michelangelo and Bernini, is explained in the Vatican, Italy (Part 6).You can get a sense of what we mean by this if you refer to the article

A theatrical effect created by the great artists of Rome. I felt something comparable here in Baden-Baden.

Is there any statue in which the drama of Dostoevsky's life is so beautifully expressed in its humanity?

The statue is a stage space for Baden-Baden itself. The city itself, beyond the statue itself, is also incorporated into the art form.

Still, it's a sad, cruel statue. What else could they have done? Why don't they just make him smile and peace out closer to the city? No, no, don't be silly. This statue has to be this way. It cannot be anything else. This is the Dostoevsky of Baden-Baden. It is really wonderful. I was captivated by this statue.

Once this happens I can no longer stand still. I wanted to see Dostoevsky at night. I walked through the dark night streets to meet Dostoevsky. I was a little anxious because I was walking at night in a foreign country, but I couldn't let that stop me. I wanted to meet Dostoevsky at night.

Oh, you are here at night ...

Dostoevsky was still there on this empty, quiet hill. He was still there, as usual, on this quiet hill.

Dostoevsky watches over the night view of Baden-Baden. He is always here alone. It's a figure that makes you want to cuddle up to him gently. I could understand a little why Mrs. Anna wanted to protect him. It's so pathetic, it invites sympathy...

With my hair pulled back, I turned back to my lodgings.

I emphasize again and again that it is rare to find such a wonderful sculpture. Even if we exclude the fact that I have an attachment to Dostoevsky, I still think this is a tremendous masterpiece.

There are tremendous masterpieces in Baden-Baden!

Hopefully this will spread more throughout the world.

Conclusion

These are excerpts from the original article.

For me, my time in Baden-Baden was truly a wonderful experience.

Baden-Baden is one of the world's leading recreational destinations, visited not only by Dostoevsky, but also by Turgenev, Tolstoy, and other famous writers. The place still attracts many people today.

We hope you will take a look at the original article here and the travelogue of Dostoevsky's trip.

These are the words of the article "Do you know the statue of Dostoevsky in Baden-Baden? ~The ultimate sculptural work that impressed me the most in Germany! This was the "Dostoevsky Statue in Baden-Baden".

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