In this artwork, how is the Statue discussed?
The statue, erected in 1926, is one of the first largescale statues of Lenin erected in the Soviet Union, though it is predated by one in Volgograd.  The statue depicts Lenin in the act of making a speech from atop the armoured car.  The statue was created in an early constructivist style by sculptor Sergei A. Evseev and architects Vladimir Shchuko and V.G. Gelfreich.  The figure is made of bronze while the plinth, representing the armoured car, is of stone.The statue depicts Lenin in a suit and tie with waistcoat and overcoat, clothing associated with his later position as leader of the Soviet Union, rather than his 1917 attire as a revolutionary leader.  As with other depictions of Lenin from this period he is depicted bareheaded (his hat is shown tucked into the right-hand pocket of the overcoat).  Lenin is depicted with his right arm raised to shoulder height, palm forwards and thumb upraised.  This "taxi-hailing" pose is common to many Lenin statues, though Berkeley Professor Laura Bonnell states that this depiction differs from later versions in that Lenin's arm is used to indicate a directional movement, rather than offering a benediction to the masses.  The statue's left hand holds the lapels of Lenin's overcoat and suit jacket.  The monument is described by Oxford Professor Penelope Curtis as the "first important monument" of Lenin and establishing a style that has been much repeated by later statues.  Joseph Brodsky thought the statue the first ever to depict a person on top of an armoured car and compared it to the tradition of equestrian statues of previous leaders.
benediction equestrian statues Penelope Curtis Volgograd Joseph Brodsky Vladimir Shchuko thumb Soviet Union early constructivist