The Tambov Regional Art houses a statue by the sculptor Mikhail Ivanovich Salychev. “Man with a Rooster” is an eye-catching work that symbolizes the Tambov region with its authentic culture, rural and quaint way of life.
Mikhail Salychev was born in 1947 in the village of Vasilyevka, Inzhavinsky District, Tambov Region. The war took its toll on his family, having ruined the health of his parents. The young Mikhail was brought up at the Zherdevsky orphanage. Later, he enrolled at the factory apprenticeship school in Tambov and trained as a mechanic. He served in the Soviet army and started working at an industrial factory. However, his soul always gravitated to creative work. As soon as Mikhail Salychev had the opportunity to express his creative side, he started attending classes at an art school for adults, and in 1974, he enrolled in the sculpture department of the Konstantin Savitsky Art School in Penza. He worked in creative workshops at the Houses of Artists and country houses of professional artists.
Salychev designed a series of wooden sculptures titled “Men”. Wood always was his favorite material. These statues were exhibited at all-Russian and regional art exhibitions and achieved great success, winning people’s hearts. “Man with a Rooster” from the museum collection is also part of this series. The basic forms, the simple silhouette, and the color of these statues emphasize their expressive nature and emotionality. The artist has described his preferences in working with various materials in the following way, “For sculptures, I mainly use such types of wood as linden, birch, oak, and pine. Most often, I use linden wood. Each statue takes a lot of time. Like a young wine, wood should age to reach a certain state, and a work of art should wait for its turn. Sometimes, it just stands there, and then at some point, you simply take it and finish the work.”
Mikhail Salychev introduced the image of a wolf in sculpture. His works “Howl. Tambov Wolf” and “Tambov She-Wolf” are among the most significant Russian sculptures of the 20th century.
Mikhail Salychev was born in 1947 in the village of Vasilyevka, Inzhavinsky District, Tambov Region. The war took its toll on his family, having ruined the health of his parents. The young Mikhail was brought up at the Zherdevsky orphanage. Later, he enrolled at the factory apprenticeship school in Tambov and trained as a mechanic. He served in the Soviet army and started working at an industrial factory. However, his soul always gravitated to creative work. As soon as Mikhail Salychev had the opportunity to express his creative side, he started attending classes at an art school for adults, and in 1974, he enrolled in the sculpture department of the Konstantin Savitsky Art School in Penza. He worked in creative workshops at the Houses of Artists and country houses of professional artists.
Salychev designed a series of wooden sculptures titled “Men”. Wood always was his favorite material. These statues were exhibited at all-Russian and regional art exhibitions and achieved great success, winning people’s hearts. “Man with a Rooster” from the museum collection is also part of this series. The basic forms, the simple silhouette, and the color of these statues emphasize their expressive nature and emotionality. The artist has described his preferences in working with various materials in the following way, “For sculptures, I mainly use such types of wood as linden, birch, oak, and pine. Most often, I use linden wood. Each statue takes a lot of time. Like a young wine, wood should age to reach a certain state, and a work of art should wait for its turn. Sometimes, it just stands there, and then at some point, you simply take it and finish the work.”
Mikhail Salychev introduced the image of a wolf in sculpture. His works “Howl. Tambov Wolf” and “Tambov She-Wolf” are among the most significant Russian sculptures of the 20th century.
