by David Zenian
MOSCOW - Life is an uphill battle for aspiring artists around the world, but in Russia even big names like long-established sculptor Frederick Sogoyan are in trouble.
"At some point in my life I believed in art for art's sake because my works were subsidized by the Soviet government. Appreciation and reward by the authorities went hand in hand," Sogoyan said in a recent interview.
"In effect, I was paid to create. Not anymore."
Sogoyan, whose exquisite life-size Mother and Child statue in bronze is displayed prominently outside the main entrance of the Washington headquarters of the American Red Cross, is one of the former Soviet Union's most-decorated artists and the recipient of the coveted Lenin Medal for the Arts.
"I did the Washington bronze as a gift from the Armenian people to the people of the United States in appreciation of their help after the 1988 earthquake victims. I also did a bronze bust for Senator Robert Dole for the same reason," he added.
But Sogoyan, born in Gyumri and a long-time resident of Moscow, says without state support many artists are forced into commercializing their work for the sake of survival.
"In the old days, the government ministries commissioned artists to work on various projects. Today, we are on our own," Sogoyan said.
One of Sogoyan's most famous works is the huge bronze monument honoring the Soviet soldiers who fought back and liberated the city of Kiev from Nazi occupation during World War II. The Sogoyan creation is one of the outdoor centerpieces of Kiev's hilltop military museum compound and depicts a group of soldiers charging ahead in assault formation. It was commissioned and paid for by the Soviet military.
"The Kiev monument is my largest work. It took eight years to put together. As an Armenian, I am very proud to have been selected to create this monument which will remain there forever," Sogoyan said.
But those masterpieces are of the days gone by. Even if Sogoyan wants to create such a massive work of art, he cannot afford the costs.
Today Sogoyan, looking haggard and exhausted, struggles to keep up with inflation. The Soviet government, which once "appreciated" artists and rewarded them handsomely, is gone and the people now have different priorities.
"Artists are at the mercy of the nouveau riche who prefer spending more on an American car than a work of art. The State encouragement is gone and the artist has to make his works market-oriented if he wants to survive," Sogoyan said in his old studio.
"Most of what I do today is heads and busts for the tombstones of rich Muscovites," he said.
