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Mongolian
Arts and Culture > Fine Art
> Three Dimensional Art
 THREE-DIMENSIONAL
ART
Deer carvings on stone slabs are the earliest
examples we have of Mongolian sculpture, dating to around
the Bronze age. Thousands of these stones, most of which are
scattered across the Mongolian countryside, are evidence of
the skill and value of sculpture in ancient Mongolia.
One of Mongolia's most famous sculptors, Undur
Gegeen Zanabazar,(1635 - 1723) was also a painter, architect,
monk, high religious leader, diplomat, and politician. He
created sculptures in gilt bronze of Buddhist deities. There
is not much known about the artistic training of Zanabazar,
although he was ordained in Lhasa, Tibet at the age of fourteen
when the Potala Palace was being built, and no doubt came
into contact with many artisans at that time, and when he
returned to Mongolia, he was accompanied by many lamas and
craftsmen. His work also has many characteristics in common
with the sculpture of Nepal. Yet he developed a unique style,
and all sculptures by him and from the Zanabazar School
are finely resolved, possess elegant detail, mastery of
the human form, and exude life. Zanabazar laid the foundation
for the depiction and praise of the human form in Mongolian
sculpture.
Homage to the Repressed, L.
Bold
Mongolian contemporary sculpture, like two-dimensional art,
has been heavily influenced by western styles. There are many
famous contemporary sculptors, including S. Choimbol, A. Davaatseren,
N. Jambai and L. Dashdeleg. The monument to D. Sukhbaatar
in Sukhbaatar Square by S. Choimbol is a symbol of the People's
Revolution in Mongolia and gives an impression of our country
to foreign visitors. It is a portrait of the revolutionary
on horseback, depicted in Western realism.
Another example of 20th century
monumental sculpture is Zaisan, by Ts. Dorjsuren, located
on a hill overlooking Ulaanbaatar. It is a monument to Russian
soldiers and to the friendship between Mongolia and the
Soviet Union. Its composition includes a soldier holding
a soaring concrete flag, and an elevated concrete ring,
decorated on the outside with medals and the inside with
a mosaic depicting pertinent revolutions and history of
the twentieth century. In the center of the ring a flame
was sometimes lit.
An example of work created
since the end of the Socialist era in the early 1990's is
L. Bold's "Homage to the Repressed." Its break from
realism and social statement are both possible in the new
freedom in which Mongolian artists work. Also, the the last
decade, a few Mongolian artists have begun to venture into
creating installation and land art. One of these artists,
S. Dagvadorj, uses ordinary Mongolian objects such as stones
(used as toys), stirrups, and dung (used for fuel), to create
installation pieces that break down barriers between the viewer
and the art.
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