Our century has come quite recently, and therefore we cannot yet say who the outstanding personalities of Russia of the 21st century are. However, an analysis of the past will give us the opportunity to understand what truly great things we can expect from Slavic blood. After all, as you know, whoever knows the past knows the future.
Poets, musicians, politicians, writers, scientists and artists - all these are outstanding personalities of Russia. The list, albeit a short one, broken down by occupation, is given below.
Politicians
Alexander Nevsky
Outstanding personalities in the history of Russia, which are mentioned in our article, begin with him. The Grand Duke of Novgorod and a brilliant commander who managed to defeat the Swedes and the Teutons and laid the foundation for the existence of Russia in his historical and cultural tradition.
Ivan IV the Terrible
The cruel prince of Moscow, who, thanks to his exorbitant willpower and thirst for power, created the Russian kingdom, becoming the first king of All Russia.
He is known all over the world for his bloodthirstiness. However, one cannot overestimate how much he modified and reformed Russia, creating from it a single and integral state that every neighbor had to reckon with.
Peter I
A reformer and innovator who tried to make Russia a truly European state. The first Emperor of Russia, who became such due to the significant expansion of the country at the expense of the B altic states. Founder of St. Petersburg and creator of the navy.
Catherine II
Significantly expanded the borders of the Russian Empire. Made the nobility the most privileged and important class. The patroness of science and arts, the "Russian enlightener", who managed to carry out the most profound and important reforms after Peter the Great.
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
The leader of the October Revolution, one of the most important theorists of communism. The creator and inspirer of the first socialist state - the USSR. He died without waiting for the fruits of his struggle.
Writers
Alexander Ostrovsky
Outstanding personalities of Russia in the 19th century among playwrights would hardly have ever formed without the legacy of this author. "Russian Ibsen", author of the plays "Dowry", "Thunderstorm", "Our people - we will settle down." The first Russian playwright who began to put deep psychological overtones into the lines of the characters.
Nikolai Gogol
Dramaturg and writer. Known for the plays "Inspector", "Marriage", as well as prose - "Viy", "Overcoat", etc. A kind of founder of the "horror" genre. The main theme of creativity is a small man and the injustice of the world according totowards him.
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Author of the novels The Idiot, Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov. A deep psychologist who forever changed the tradition of describing the inner life of a character. Behind the gloomy facades of St. Petersburg and gloomy clouds, he always tried to leave hope to the reader. Actively explored in his works the relationship between man and God.
Leo Tolstoy
The author who gave the world "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina". Writer of a truly Russian soul. A pacifist who actively opposed the war all his life, which was reflected in his works. He believed that the most important condition for happiness is the unity of man with nature.
Anton Chekhov
An anecdote forced to write funny stories to feed his family and receiving some small coins for this. Outstanding personalities of Russia are impossible without this original "Man without a spleen". He grew up right in front of his reader, improving and gradually creating the most important works for all world literature - the stories "Typhus" and "Enemies", the plays "The Seagull" and "Three Sisters".
Anton Chekhov is the first writer who dared to say that all human problems come from one thing - endless human stupidity.
Poets
Alexander Pushkin
The greatest Russian poet, author of many poems and poems, including the novel in verse "Eugene Onegin". When they say “outstanding personalities of Russia” abroad, they most likely immediately call Pushkin. In fact, the creator of classical Russian poetry, the genius of the golden ageRussian poem. In his poems, he managed to raise all sorts of topics - from social injustice to subtle love feelings.
Mikhail Lermontov
The author of the poem "A Hero of Our Time" and a huge string of various poems. He fought in the Caucasus, from which he became almost a full-fledged character in his works. Questioned the need for war and the alienation of man.
Vladimir Mayakovsky
The creator of futurism in the cultural space of Russia. He wrote his poems in a special stepped form. An ardent communist, is considered one of the mouthpieces of the revolution. Until the end of his life, he defended the true ideals of the revolution. One of the main poets of the Silver Age.
Sergey Yesenin
A contemporary of Mayakovsky and his complete opposite as an author. A subtle and sincere lyricist, who at the same time managed to remain an eternal bully and a teenager. He raised the topics of the struggle of the individual with the environment, love for nature and, of course, for a woman.
Vladimir Vysotsky
Bard, author of many songs and poems. The greatest poet of the Bronze Age. His hoarse voice seemed to let his voice down under the legacy left to him by all the outstanding personalities of Russia in the 20th century. He raised the topics of the internal and external struggle of a person, his place in society and in the world in general. Subtle satirist.
Bulat Okudzhava
Also a poet who independently performed his poems in the form of songs. Touching and honest, he wrote poems filled with some kind of cosmic thoughtfulness. Often used metaphors, creating withusing them deep images. His songs had a parable form, which was once (good-naturedly) parodied by Vysotsky.
Filmmakers
Lev Kuleshov
Thanks to him, outstanding personalities of Russia began to appear in the cinema. The discoverer of the "Kuleshov effect" - "two frames that are independent in meaning, glued together, create a new meaning." In fact, the founder of the montage story.
Sergey Eisenstein
The author of the cult "Battleship Potemkin", which is still viewed in one breath. Film theorist and creator of dynamic montage.
The first person in Russia to use color in cinema was the red flag in the same Battleship Potemkin.
Mikhail Romm
Director of documentaries ("Ordinary Fascism") and feature films ("Nine Days of One Year") films. One of the most important cinema theorists of the mid-20th century. VGIK teacher and author of many scientific papers.
Andrey Tarkovsky
A man who manages to shoot a true art-house in the USSR. His tapes are filled with personal meanings, full of metaphors and subtle hints. He shot "Solaris" and "Stalker", most often making his works such parables-allegories.
Artists
Andrey Rublev
Modern outstanding personalities of Russia among artists would not be possible without the person who laid the foundation of Russian painting.
The author of numerous icons, Andrey Rublev devoted his whole life to this complex art. Now his works are stored not only in churches,but also in various galleries, as examples and ideals of icon painting.
Ilya Repin
The author of many paintings and an absolute workaholic. From under his brush came such things as “They didn’t wait”, “Sailed” and “Ivan the Terrible kills his son.” Master of situational, "plot" paintings.
Each of his canvases is like a photograph taken at the climax of the event he was trying to capture. His paintings are infinitely alive and may not always reveal their true meaning at first sight. The main thing in Repin is the emotions of the characters and details.
Kazimir Malevich
Great modernist, known as the author of the "Black Square", which has already become a household name. He was busy looking for new forms and ways of expressing color in painting. His paintings are full of abstractions and geometric shapes, attempts to invent something new in his art. I tried to find "absolute peace" in the paintings.
Composers
Pyotr Tchaikovsky
One of the first Russian professional composers, Tchaikovsky made a true craft out of music (in the good sense of the word). He was a man who just couldn't stop writing music.
Extremely diverse topics raised in all possible genres make Pyotr Ilyich a composer capable of reaching the heart of every person. His most famous works are the ballets The Nutcracker and Swan Lake.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
The most famous author of operas among Russian composers. The main topics that Nikolai Andreevich worked with were history andfairy tale ("Three Miracles", "Snow Maiden").
I believed that the main goal of music is the unity of the listener with the true nature of the world, which can only be expressed in such a melodic form.
Dmitry Shostakovich
A composer with a difficult fate, who initially worked in the style of modernism and actively experimented in all genres. However, Stalin personally did not like Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, and then severe repressions followed.
To save himself and his family, Shostakovich had to create in a purely "state" way. However, his music really proves that even a simple listener hears the subtext put in by the composer. Many subtle moods and meanings that he put into symphonies No. 5 and No. 7 were then understood by everyone.
Scientists
Mikhail Lomonosov
The first Russian encyclopedist, "a man of all sciences". Brought Russian research to the level of Europe. Made many discoveries in almost every modern science for him.
As an academic and one of the most active personalities of his time, he was an icon for the Russian Enlightenment.
Dmitry Mendeleev
Russian chemist who has already become legendary, who managed to create a periodic system of chemical elements, which significantly pushed the world science forward.
The existence of such a table clearly proves the harmony of nature and its clear system.
One of the greatest discoveries in the history of mankind, which, according toin fact, all modern natural science is held together, belongs to him. He also worked in other sciences, where he also made various discoveries.
Ivan Pavlov
The first Nobel laureate from Russia. Pavlov made the most important discovery in biology and physiology - it was he who found out the presence of reflexes in the body of living beings. And it was this Russian scientist who divided them into conditional and unconditional.
Pavlov devoted his whole life to this discovery, and even dying, he continued to dictate his feelings to his students - so that science could better know the state of death.
Athletes
Ivan Poddubny
Legendary Russian wrestler, "hero of the XX century". Haven't lost once in ten years. Wrestling champion five times.
Garry Kasparov
A chess player with many awards, Chess Oscars and the title of world champion. He became famous for the extremely successful combination of various tactics and strategies and the ability to emerge from a seemingly completely failed game as a winner.
"Kasparov's openings" - this is how unexpected and non-standard moves at the beginning of the game are called now.
Lev Yashin
Soviet goalkeeper, famous for his absolute "impenetrability". Considered the best goalkeeper of the 20th century. Repeatedly recognized as the best goalkeeper of the USSR. Ballon d'Or winner.
Conclusion
As we see, outstanding personalities in the history of Russia have become extremely significant for all mankind. Chekhov can be safely called the best playwright in the world, and Mendeleev - the greatest chemist. All these people are important not only forRussia, but also for every area in which they became famous.
It remains to be hoped that the outstanding personalities of Russia in the 21st century will, like their predecessors, mean something for the whole world, and not just for their homeland.
