Russian Workers- Socialist Realism art - Figurative Public Sculpture on Waymarking.com

The upstream towers of Lock #6 on the Moscow Canal support four large statues of Russian Workers. These sculptures are examples of Socialist Realism, a style much used in Russia during the height of Stalinism to promote and glorify the communist ideal.

The Moscow Canal, which connects the Moscow River with the Volga, was built 1932 and 1937 using slave labor from the Stalin era Gulags. Most of the excavation was done by hand with shovels, pickaxes in winter, and wheelbarrows. Only in recent years has the human cost of this massive engineering project become known.

These statues, three men and one woman, may depict Soviet workers in general or perhaps they are an idealized representation of those who worked on construction of the canal. Lock #6 is located about 29 miles from the North Moscow River Port and it's the closest lock to Moscow.

Figure Type: Human Date created or placed or use 'Unknown' if not known: Mid 1930s Materials used: stone Location: Lock #6, Moscow Canal Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Not listed Artist Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/19/2009 marysuewashere visited it 01/25/2008 NevaP visited it

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