Painters of reality: "the most discreditable monument to Chekhov" will be erected in Irkutsk

Irkutsk residents were extremely wary of the city administration 's plans to erect a bronze monument to the great Russian writer and playwright in one of the city squares.

“Last year, residents of the Pravoberezhny District made a decision to improve the square on Chekhov, 3. In the process of working with the project, they came to the decision to erect a monument to Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. The writer visited our city, and according to the memoirs of his contemporaries, he was impressed by the history and architecture of Irkutsk. Together with the residents, a cozy space will be created in the very center of the city, ”said First Deputy Mayor of Irkutsk Anton Krasnoshtanov.

The Irkutsk Internet edition "Camel on Fire" has collected several opinions of Irkutsk residents on this matter, and the overwhelming majority of them are not in its favor

So, journalist Vadim Palko said that "the installation of the monument is not a disaster, but it is sad." Grigory Skarchenko, head of the Irkutsk branch of the Urban Projects Foundation, noted that “viewers should want to photograph the monument, post a selfie with it on social networks. Its appearance should be catchy. In this case, there is nothing of the kind..."

The reaction on social networks is no better:

- The most disgraceful Chekhov, of those established by Rasiyushka. The same handcraftsmen, probably, do as those of Babr's leaf. And, of course, from Chinese metallized plastic for a penny.

- In the XXI century, this horrible vulgarity in the city at every step. So glad that I moved from the center.

- As usual, for some reason we always strive to do any good deed as badly as possible - apparently, from a sense of harmony, so that there would be some kind of correspondence to our vile times. From such a caramel monument - apparently, the work of some handicraftsman who tried to please the simple tastes of the local authorities - somehow you just want to kick something right away. Susalny Chekhov with a porcelain face is holding his hat on flight (vaguely reminding Bouba of Kastorsky) - and why, exactly? It was customary to raise your hat in greeting when meeting with an acquaintance, but not with everyone, but with a particularly respected one. Did Chekhov have such acquaintances in Irkutsk?

And one of the local social activists, Fyodor T., demanded to impose a five-year moratorium on the installation of any monuments in Irkutsk. And this seems to be the wisest decision.

Recall that Chekhov visited Irkutsk during his epoch-making journey across Russia to Sakhalin. According to the impressions of this trip, he wrote, perhaps, the most gloomy and hopeless stories, not to mention the book "Sakhalin Island" itself, in which, in addition to travel notes, Chekhov described in detail the life of Sakhalin convicts.