Paradoxes of Historical Consciousness in Ulaanbaatar Monumental Sculpture. Ideological Function of Monuments in the Context of “Mongolian National Revival” in the 21st Сentury

Authors

  • Evgeny V. Yaylenko Mongolian State University of Arts and Culture
  • Dorjsuren Uranchimeg Mongolian State University of Arts and Culture

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu15.2024.207

Abstract

This article deals with Ulaanbaatar monumental sculptures which have been produced during the course of the last 20 years. It studies various processes typical of the socio-political and cultural life of present-day Mongolia that impressed greatly content as well as style of many monuments erected in honor of the outstanding leaders of this country. The core idea of these artworks consists in developing the concept of the national identity which became characteristic of the spiritual life of Mongolia after the Democratic Revolution of 1990. In its turn, this concept is based on specific interpretation of Mongolia’s historical past which is focused on the figure of Chingis khan as an embodiment of the national idea. The establishment of his cult in the democratic country with market economy forms an essential element in the process designated in this article as “Mongolian national revival”. Within the general framework of the state cultural policy, this tendency found its expression in erecting a wide range of various monuments dedicated to the Great Khan as well as other rulers of mediaeval Mongolia. On the other hand, it’s also evident that this policy implies an idea of historical continuity that provides a link between different epochs of Mongolian history. This leads to the conclusion that Communist leaders of the People’s Republic of Mongolia are nowadays considered as the true hears of the mediaeval rulers of the country because they also contributed to the Mongolian civilization building. This article demonstrates what kind of artistic means have been implemented in solving this task. One of the major concerns consisted in involving the viewer in comprehending meaning of the monuments. This stimulated the emergence of the new and highly innovative artistic typology of the monumental-didactic sculptural ensemble exemplified in the monument to the singer S. Tsogtsaihan.

Keywords:

Mongolia, Chingis khan, People’s Republic of Mongolia, national identity, Mongolian national revival, sculpture, monument, I. E. Repin’s Institute

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References

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Published

2024-08-29

How to Cite

Yaylenko, E. V., & Uranchimeg, D. (2024). Paradoxes of Historical Consciousness in Ulaanbaatar Monumental Sculpture. Ideological Function of Monuments in the Context of “Mongolian National Revival” in the 21st Сentury. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Arts, 14(2), 363–381. https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu15.2024.207

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 2 (2024)

Section

Visual arts

License

Articles of "Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Arts" are open access distributed under the terms of the License Agreement with Saint Petersburg State University, which permits to the authors unrestricted distribution and self-archiving free of charge.