The Representation of the Bronze Horseman, Peter the Great

The Bronze Horseman is a famous statue of Peter the Great in St. Petersburg. It represents Russia's history. Referring to the statue as the Bronze Horseman reflects its importance to Russian culture and literature. In 1833, Pushkin wrote the poem "The Bronze Horseman" which cast the monument into a mythical view. According to the analysis on the Mapping St. Petersburg website, "The statue comes to life in Pushkin's poem...as if to suggest the unleashing of this power beneath the confines of civilized reason."

Furthermore, the article points out that late twentieth century guidebooks for tourists have begun referring to the monument as the Bronze Horseman and Peter the Great. Going further they state that the monument is "an ambivalent marker of East and West". Since the statue is of Peter, it represents his goals of westernization in the eastern world.
















To read more of the ideas and questions presented in the article, Visit: http://stpetersburg.berkeley.edu/stiliana/stil_stop2.html