The Motherland Calls is the compositional centre of the monument-ensemble "Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad" on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd, Russia. The statue is designed in the Soviet style of socialist realism. It was designed by sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich and structural engineer Nikolai Nikitin, and declared the tallest statue in the world in 1967. At 85 m (279 ft), it is the tallest statue in Europe, the tallest in the eastern hemisphere outside of Asia and the tallest statue (excluding pedestals) of a woman in the world.

The work of sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich and engineer Nikolai Nikitin is an 85-metre (279 ft) figure of a woman stepping forward with a raised sword. The statue is an allegorical image of the Motherland, which calls on its sons and daughters to repulse the enemy and return to the attack.

The Motherland Calls is highly complex from an engineering point of view, due to its characteristic posture with a sword raised high in the right hand and the left hand extended in a calling gesture. The sculpture is hollow. The technology behind the hollow statue is based on a combination of prestressed concrete with wire ropes, a solution which can also be found in another work of Nikitin's, the Ostankino Tower in Moscow. Inside, the entire statue consists of separate cells or chambers, like rooms in a building. The concrete walls of the sculpture are 25–30 cm (9.8–11.8 in) thick.

The construction of the monument was started in May 1959 and completed on 15 October 1967.[3] It was the tallest sculpture in the world at the time of creation. Restoration work on the main monument of the monument complex was done in 1972, when the sword was replaced by another entirely consisting of stainless steel.

It is most likely that Vuchetich sculpted the figure from the discus thrower Nina Dumbadze, and the face from his wife Vera. According to various sources, Valentina Izotova or Ekaterina Grebneva posed for the sculpture. It is also believed that the statue has parallels with the figure of the "Marseillaise" on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and that the statue's pose was inspired by the statue of Nike of Samothrace.

At night, the sculpture is illuminated by floodlights. It was specially illuminated as part of a light show titled "The Light of the Great Victory", marking the 72nd anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.

Megathreads and spaces to hang out:

reminders:

  • 💚 You nerds can join specific comms to see posts about all sorts of topics
  • 💙 Hexbear’s algorithm prioritizes struggle sessions over upbears
  • 💜 Sorting by new you nerd
  • 🌈 If you ever want to make your own megathread, you can go here nerd

Links To Resources (Aid and Theory):

Aid:

Theory:

Remember nerds, no current struggle session discussion here to the general megathread, i will ban you from the comm and remove your comment, have a good day/night :meow-coffee:

  • Dimmer06 [he/him,comrade/them]
    ·
    2 years ago

    I think I've fully descended into third worldism. USians cannot at this point be organized or led to a revolution. We are all lumpen peasants. Half of the people in the country have the majority of their wealth tied up in the land in the form of a mortgage on their house and the other half desires for the same. Our culture is paranoid, insecure, subservient, careless, and addicted - all products of the hellish society that we are dropped into. Most people are too numb to care and the rest are blinded by ideology. The internet is more than panopticon that not only spies on us, but presses our very existence into jelly that is owned and sold by the capitalist pigs. The few people who actually stand up in resistance are crushed by the leviathan and the masses that are blinded by their love of it.

    The good news is that as the global periphery breaks the chains of imperialism, our conditions will worsen and we will be reproletarianized. That's also bad news for USians but eventually it will lead to revolution here.

    • SaniFlush [any, any]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Okay. Whatcha going to do in the meantime? Halloween is coming if you want to try pumpkin carving.

      • Dimmer06 [he/him,comrade/them]
        ·
        2 years ago

        Pumpkin carving sounds fun but unfortunately I don't really have space for it in my apartment. Maybe the landlord would let me put one on the steps?

      • Dimmer06 [he/him,comrade/them]
        ·
        2 years ago

        If you're in the US, it's not even about bravery or individual ideas, wants, or actions. The country as a whole is fundamentally incapable of being led towards a revolution in the present state of things because the people do not want to overcome the forces that bind and sedate them. The masses perceive the system as acceptable and if they even care enough to want change (most don't) they believe it must be done through the system. For a large section of USians, maybe even a majority of them, this might not even be backwards. The imperialist system might very well benefit them more than it hurts them.

        We can't organize a revolution because the people will not follow us. It's like we're all in a prison and the guards are putting sedatives in the food. You and I can tell everyone else we should break out, but most of them are too clocked out to care and some of them are even happy that they've got a roof, a bed, and three square meals.