The Building of Bratsk

Powerful metal constructions soar up into the Siberian sky, against the background of the Angara valley cliffs. The scale of these natural and man-made environments collide in a dangerous confrontation, while the people and lorries involved in the dam’s construction seem fragile and small Occasional tree stumps atop the cliffs delivered with fine brush-strokes, heighten the sense of the grand and epic in this work. Its execution is simple: red girders, the dark silhouette of the mountains, and the bumpy roads leading off into the distance. A little bit later, tonnes of icy water will thunder hundreds of metres down the cascade from the gorge to the pool, the massive generating hall will groan into action, and the dark night of the Siberian taiga will be illuminated by electricity. An accomplishment by thousands of people from all across the country – who were able to take this mighty river and harsh land, this shock-work construction became a symbol of human will and courage, a bold hymn to labour and resilience. A year after his visit Pavel Nikonov painted “Our Days”, which offers an unembellished representation of these anonymous heroes – who built the dam. Another ‘severe style’ piece came into being in 1960 “Builders of Bratsk”, by Viktor Popkov.