A newly unveiled bust of William Shakespeare in the Ukrainian city of Poltava has attracted plenty of attention — although perhaps not quite the kind its sculptor was hoping for.
The first bust in Ukraine dedicated to the famous English playwright has been installed in Poltava, but local residents have largely greeted the monument with ridicule and criticism of its creator, NV reports.
The sculpture depicts a bearded man with a moustache and unusually prominent eyebrows. The resemblance to Shakespeare has proved difficult for some residents to identify, not least because nobody knows with certainty exactly what the playwright looked like.
Sculptor Yaroslav Shkarupa told journalists that he based his work on five sketches.
“I made it in seven days. I really enjoy it; I love working on representations of people. These days, most of the orders are for cartoon sculptures, various decorations for flowerbeds, little gnomes, elephants, but I am already tired of that. Working on people, however, is really enjoyable,” Shkarupa said.
Local reaction suggested that some residents might have preferred the return of the gnomes and elephants.
“You would have been better off sculpting elephants and gnomes. Why have you done this to Shakespeare, what did he ever do to you? And, anyway, why do you need him in Poltava? It reminds me of a bust of Lenin,” the publication quoted a local resident, Ivan, as saying.
Another resident, Larisa, was equally unimpressed.
“Why did poor Shakespeare have to suffer because of this lack of taste? Maybe you should go back to gnomes? After all, this looks more like a gnome or a house spirit,” she said.
And then came perhaps the most unexpected comparison.
“Am I the only one who thinks this is a caricature of Taras Shevchenko?” Poltava resident Olga asked.
For now, the monument appears to have achieved something Shakespeare himself might have appreciated: it has certainly given Poltava residents plenty to talk about.
By Tamilla Hasanova
