SYMBOLS AND IMAGES:
THE CIRCLE AS A UNIVERSAL CENTER

In Soviet modernism, halos and mandorlas were replaced by "rays of progress." The Mexican school of monumental art is often compared to the Soviet one — both sought to convey the values of the state to the people through "monumental propaganda." However, didactic content is far from the only feature that allows for a comparative analysis of mosaics created in the 1940s–1980s across different continents.

The mosaic above the entrance to the Saint Jude Chapel is an abstract composition centered on a circle. In icons such as the Transfiguration, the Ascension, or Christ in Majesty, a radiance surrounding Christ or the Mother of God is depicted — called a halo (when it surrounds the whole body) or an aureole. This element, resembling a tunnel receding into the distance, consists of several concentric circles (usually in shades of blue), with darker, smaller circles placed closer to the center; it is also known as a "glory." This device symbolizes the incomprehensibility of the divine essence. In the Saint Jude Chapel mosaic, the concentric circle recalls the depiction of radiance around the figure of Christ. In Evgeny Kazaryants's mosaic on the House of Optics in Moscow, the circle at the center — is not a tunnel but a convex lens through which the world is refracted.

SYMBOL OF LABOR AND THE BOND BETWEEN ERAS

The central element of the mosaic at the Energetik Palace of Culture is a circle resembling the sun, from which "rays of progress" radiate outward in all directions, permeating the entire composition. This is a symbol of energy as the foundation of Soviet achievements: from advances in science and art to the conquest of space, embodied by the figure of the cosmonaut on the right. At the center of the circle is a man in white clothing with raised arms, holding a quality mark. Rays emanate from his figure. Behind him is another, smaller circle, which makes the center of the composition resemble a cross-section of a spacecraft.

In the Samarkand mosaic, the central part of the composition is also set off by a circle resembling a magnifying glass. Inside it, in several registers, builders of various trades — an engineer, a welder, a crane operator — are shown at work constructing a building. The technique of constructing a conventionalized pictorial space, and then placing figures within it, appeared in Soviet art in the 1960s, after the "campaign against excesses," when the plastic language of architecture began to change (Soviet modernism was developing). The circle at the center of the façade can also be read symbolically — as a sign that the builders' labor is a connecting link between the past and the future. To its left is a mosque, and to the right, modern buildings. The symmetry of the composition is reinforced by the movement of traffic: trucks, a bus, and a trolleybus travel in different directions from the center.

CUBIST TECHNIQUES:
FROM COLLAGE TO SUPREMATISM

Cubist fragmentation of forms and crisp geometry were perfectly suited to the theme of the scientific and technological revolution. Straight lines, sharp angles, and a conventionalized space built from geometric shapes symbolized the rationality, systematic order, and dynamism of modern science — from the structure of the atom to the architecture of microchips and the trajectories of space flights. This approach allowed artists to create generalized image-symbols. In easel painting, "formalism" was strongly condemned, and abstraction was banned. However, geometric stylization within a figurative subject (labor, sport, space) was permitted, especially in monumental art, where it could be explained by the "specifics of the genre," since rationalist architecture called for formal solutions rather than a realistic construction of space. Working with architecture became a zone of creative freedom for Soviet monumentalists, where they could experiment with avant-garde techniques.

In painting and monumental art in the United States and Europe, techniques from cubism and futurism went through a gradual process of legitimization. Modernist artists of the 1910s–1920s created works that shocked bourgeois taste, yet decades later their work gained recognition and reached high market values. Some future monumentalists first encountered the achievements of avant-garde art in Paris before World War II, and later developed these techniques in their own art.

The mosaic panel on the façade of the Co-Operative Shop is built on the layering of local planes. The figures of Demeter and Hermes bear no anatomical resemblance to real people. The background is conventionalized. The space has no depth. This device recalls Picasso's cubist collages. One of the popular color combinations in monumental art of the 1960s–1980s was a rich blue paired with bright red. Notably, this color pairing appears both among Soviet monumentalists and among Hungarian artists working in Great Britain. But in the panel at the Palace of Pioneers in Krasnoyarsk, the color red serves a double function. On one hand, it is symbolic — referencing the Young Pioneer neckerchief and the color of the Soviet flag. On the other, it performs a compositional role: the red elements link the mosaic to the architecture, echoing the color of the walls.

The turn to elements of cubism and geometric stylization in Soviet mosaic (especially in the 1960s–1970s) marked the beginning of the Soviet modernism period. It was a deliberate break with the pathos of Stalinist Empire style and a search for a new expressive language.

PLANE AND COLOR

FRIEZE COMPOSITIONS:
A TIMELINE AND THE UNITY OF SPHERES

Frieze composition has traditionally been used to depict a procession or a sequence of events: the Standard of Ur, the friezes of the Parthenon, Trajan's Column wrapped in a "ribbon" whose reliefs sequentially depict the actions of the Roman army during Trajan's two wars with the Dacians. Thanks to the development of modernist tendencies in painting, artists gained access to many other techniques for building a frieze composition beyond depicting figures of the same height moving in the same direction. Gino Severini — a Futurist artist known as the father of modern mosaic — created a frieze for the post office building in Alessandria, Italy, dedicated to the history of communication. The work is divided into three parts. The two side sections are devoted to the continents (Oceania and Asia on the left, Africa and America on the right). The central section is longer than the other two and tells the history of the post and the telegraph. In his mosaic, Severini builds space in depth, depicting a modern city with its dynamism and the growing mechanization of services and transport.

In the mosaic frieze of the Kosmos cinema, space is treated conventionally and flatly, without depth, although close examination reveals a division into planes through the varying size of the horse figures. Here the frieze composition carries a different symbolic meaning — not the depiction of a process, but the unification of different spheres of life. This device recalls Henri Matisse's paintings "Dance" and "Music," where, within a flat image, a sense of space is created by diminishing the size of the background figures.

The mosaics on the platform walls of the Savelovskaya metro station are dedicated to the history of transport. They depict an old-fashioned steam locomotive, a steamboat and a foal, a horse-drawn tram with three pairs of horses, a suburban train, and a modern locomotive pulling a long train across a bridge over a taiga river. The development of transport is shown as a steady, forward movement. The mosaic has few diagonals; everything is built on a rhythm of alternating verticals and horizontals.

NARRATIVE INSERTS:
AN EMBLEM ON THE WALL

The entire façade is not always covered in mosaic. A white plastered wall surface or natural stone cladding can serve as a background. This type of mosaic can be called a narrative insert. The term "emblem" would not be entirely accurate, since it usually has a regular geometric shape without a complex outline — that is, a composition of signs and symbols resembling a logo.

In A. Kuznetsov's mosaic, a miner, a metallurgist, and a female factory worker are depicted beneath a rainbow, her hand pointing toward the city. The mosaic is not inlaid into the cladding (as in the works of Millard Sheets's studio), but is raised above the plaster.

The office tower built in 1963 for a new branch of Home Savings and Loan in Pomona, California, is decorated with a mosaic dedicated to the city's history. It begins with the indigenous Tongva people, followed by Spanish land grantees such as Rancho San Jose. In 1875, the city was named by competition in honor of Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit. The name anticipated the future development of agriculture, particularly the citrus industry, which flourished thanks to rail service and water from the Coachella Valley. The "Wild West scenes" also reference the history of the place, creating a sense of connection between past and future. Millard Sheets's studio designed office branches for Home Savings bank in California. Each mosaic placed on them was tied to the history or an important sphere of the city's life. Among the studio's works, mosaic inserts set into marble and travertine cladding appear quite often.

Monumental art differs from easel painting in that it addresses socially important ideas most often through image-types rather than specific individuals

LARGE-SCALE FIGURES:
HEROES ON THE FAÇADE

In Harold Friedman's 1982 mosaic "The Legend of Fire," the figure spanning the entire façade of the five-story building is not a real historical person, but a Greek god. Prometheus placed the heart above the head and stole fire from the mighty Zeus to warm the hearts and minds of the cave dwellers.

Notably, both mosaics have an L-shape (only inverted in the Australian version). The large-scale figure is a highly effective device, emphasizing both the social significance of the mosaic's content and that of the organization housed in the building. Book printing is one of humanity's most important inventions, allowing spiritual experience and scientific knowledge to be preserved and passed on, as attested by the images of past thinkers in the mosaic. Fire is a friend that makes human life more comfortable, but it is dangerous when handled carelessly, and the panel's scenes are devoted to this. Among the characters is the willful Phaethon, who drove his chariot too close to the Earth and caused a tragic fire, provoking the wrath of Zeus, the mightiest of all the gods. A carefully aimed lightning bolt, and the reckless charioteer was burned. Pandora caused real chaos after being sent to Earth by Zeus, succumbing to curiosity and opening that small box of suffering. The theme of fire's danger in careless hands is developed here through mythological subjects — much as nineteenth-century artists did (for example, the ceiling mosaics in the foyer of the Grand Opéra in Paris), rather than through depictions of specific people and everyday-life scenes.

The central element of the mosaics in Melbourne and Krasnodar is a colossal male figure spanning the full height of the façade. The mosaic on the façade of the Dom Knigi (House of the Book) building in Krasnodar is dedicated to the theme of book printing. The panel, covering an area of 450 square meters, shows two main branches of literature: scientific and artistic. The scientific branch is represented by the names and images of outstanding scientists, while the artistic branch is represented by a multitude of vivid images, from mythological to fantastical. At the center of the mosaic is the figure of a man clutching a book to his chest. This is Ivan Fyodorov, one of the first Russian book printers, who was active in publishing books in the 16th century. Around him unfold dynamic and tragic scenes connected with the history of literature and science. On the left side of the mosaic one can see the names of famous scientists: Leonardo da Vinci, Copernicus, Tsiolkovsky, and others. In the upper part of the mosaic, its title is spelled out in large letters — "I Shall Summon Any of the Centuries" — a line from a work by the poet Arseny Tarkovsky.

CUBIST TECHNIQUES
IN WORKING SCENES:
ALMA-ATA AND SÃO PAULO

Di Cavalcanti (Emiliano Di Cavalcanti), author of the "Press" mosaic, was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1897 and later studied art in Europe, living in Paris for several years. There he became friends with well-known artists and was a mentor to such masters as Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, and Pablo Picasso, who had the greatest influence on the artistic outlook of the young students.

In late Soviet art, the use of cubist techniques appeared in the work of many artists, although it was not the only expressive device that artists employed. Monumentalists such as Polishchuk and Shcherbinina, Filatchev, Zharenova and Vasiltsev developed their own recognizable stylistic approaches.

The mosaic of the former fire station in Alma-Ata and the panel "Imprensa" in São Paulo are united by their use of cubist techniques, as well as by depicting the lives of working people with almost documentary precision. The bright figures in the far left and right corners of the "Press" panel symbolize readers of the publication, while the figures in the central scenes are shown performing the work of writing, editing, and printing. The mosaic on the former fire station building depicts how a call, received at the station, is relayed to the duty crew, rescuers rush to the call, with a fire truck already following behind them, and on the right, within a circle, is a firefighter battling the flames. Both mosaics are highly dynamic in their handling of figures: the workers and firefighters are not shown standing before the viewer in static poses, but each is engaged in their own task, creating a sense of bustling labor.

"SMALL ELEMENTS": FROM PAUL KLEE TO THE GARMENT INDUSTRY

It is striking how both compositions, located on different continents, recall Paul Klee's artistic explorations: the same small elements floating in a luminous space. The mosaic of the Proton Palace of Culture contains elements referencing various sciences. The artists wanted to show the origin of forms. Genetics is symbolized by the image of a pea shoot. Mosaic inlays set into colored plaster depict a diagram of the reflection and refraction of light, a large three-dimensional image of a molecule, the Venus de Milo, and Hogarth's line of beauty (a Swedish artist-theorist). In the upper right corner is the sun with protuberances (flares) reaching toward planet Earth, with a diagram of five planets around the sun. Another panel (on the building's left wing) is called "Energy and Space." It depicts a diagram of atomic fission, whose energy is transformed into other forms, including electricity. The warm pinkish color of the lime-plaster background was dictated by the placement of the end walls on the sunny side. "Marblite" — small, shiny pebbles of various colored stone up to 10 mm thick — was added to the plaster. These are what sparkle like tiny lights in the sun.

The mosaic at 5 Bryant Park depicts stylized sewing tools floating against a golden background. This part of Manhattan was once the center of the garment industry.

Although religion was officially banned in the USSR, Soviet monumental art abounds in so-called "Soviet Madonnas" — images of mothers holding a child in their arms, dressed in red and blue, echoing the iconography of the Mother of God. In the Krasnodar mosaic, this image is reinforced by a circle behind the mother, recalling the halo around the Mother of God, as well as by diagonal lines resembling rays of light emanating from her. It is striking that the artistic council could have approved a composition with such an overt reference to icons.

In the mosaic of the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, the Mother of God is shown enthroned. Despite the modernist treatment of form, all the traditional elements of the iconography are preserved: the greenish-blue maphorion, the white sleeves of the tunic, the radiance (mandorla behind her). It is remarkable that both the mosaic on the residential building in Krasnodar and the Nazareth basilica feature a round image of radiance with rays. This parallel could be supported by many other examples — both from European monumental art and among stylistically similar images of "Soviet Madonnas".

PRINCIPLE 2 – SIMILAR THEMES IN 20TH-CENTURY SOVIET AND FOREIGN MOSAIC

AGRARIAN SUBJECTS: LABOR AS RITUAL AND AS CONSUMPTION

The mosaic at the Searstown shopping center, which later became a symbol of Lakeland, depicts an idyllic scene of harvesting, selling, and buying fresh vegetables, dairy products, and meat. The composition symbolizes the product's journey from farm to consumer's table. It celebrates the fertility of American land and the efficiency of the agro-industrial complex, creating an image of the country as a "promised land" of ever-present abundance. Placing such large-scale artworks in stores in the 1950s–1960s was an act of corporate philanthropy. The company demonstrated that it was not merely a "point of sale" but a responsible patron of the arts and part of the everyday life of the American family. On the panel, manual labor (harvesting vegetables) coexists with signs of progress (tractors, airplanes, trains). It is a symbol of the American dream, in which technological power serves the prosperity of ordinary people, and modern logistics ensure fresh produce in every home.

If Soviet mosaic celebrated labor as a heroic feat, American mosaic of the same period celebrated labor as the foundation of consumption and comfort. This was a "soft" capitalist realism that turned a shopping trip into a festive event set against a grand panorama of national success.

In Soviet monumental art of the 1960s–1970s, aesthetics merged with the ideology of the socialist economy. Labor was elevated to the status of ritual and celebration, and monumental panels on the walls of public buildings served as a kind of "report" on the region's prosperity. The depiction of the harvest was one of the most popular subjects, since it vividly demonstrated abundance of produce as the result of collective labor. Mosaic turned the blank wall of a factory or a palace of culture into a propaganda canvas that told the viewer: this industry is our pride, it feeds the country and glorifies the republic.

For the Moldavian SSR, winemaking was not merely part of agriculture, but a key branch of industry. The republic produced a significant share of the wine, brandy, and table grapes for the entire country — home to enormous combines (such as "Cricova") and research institutes. The façade of one of the buildings in Chișinău depicts a grape-harvesting scene. The grapevine is the central element of the republic's state emblem, symbolizing Moldova's fertility and the hospitality of its people. The figures of girls in ornamented ethnic skirts move gracefully, as if in a dance — so that hard physical labor appears as a graceful performance. The golden-ochre and bright red tones of the grapes against a light background create a sense of the sunlight and warmth characteristic of this southern region.

The panel in Abasha has a complex narrative devoted to the unity of Georgia's history, labor, and traditions. It is divided into nine thematic blocks about the life, labor, and culture of the Georgian people. The central axis depicts the connection between eras. A rider on a white horse recalls the image of St. George (patron saint of Georgia). Above him are everyday scenes of peaceful labor and family well-being. Below him is an image of a fruit tree, referencing the "Tree of Life" and the fertility of the land. The left flank is devoted to the theme of "Labor and Nature." The upper left corner depicts animal husbandry, underscoring the importance of agriculture. Below are scenes of harvesting and creative labor, in which the figures are markedly athletic, characteristic of the Soviet aesthetic of "heroic labor."

The depiction of the harvest in Soviet mosaic served to

Спорт: Тело, атлетизм и «новый человек»

На мозаике отделения банка в Санта-Монике изображена реалистическая сцена из пляжной жизни – отсылка к beach city (прибрежный город), расположенному на берегу залива Санта-Моника. Город располагает широким песчаным пляжем протяженностью 5,6 км, который является его главной географической и туристической доминантой. Здесь находится знаменитый пирс (Santa Monica Pier) и парк развлечений, ориентированные на пляжный отдых. Жизнь города неразрывно связана с океаном — от серфинг-культуры и знаменитого «Пляжа мускулов» (Muscle Beach) до элитной недвижимости с видом на воду. Мозаика насыщена подробностями: пальмы, чайки, бейсболисты, пара, загорающая на пляже. В советских мозаиках для зданий бассейнов и домов спорта присутствуют обобщенные образы, воспевающие красоту тела и радость отдыха. Также следует отметить, что Милард Шитс не имел профессионального образования, в отличие от большинства советских художников-монументалистов. Реалистичное пространство пляжа в мозаике спорит с лаконичным модернизмом архитектуры здания.

Тема спорта и физической культуры в советской мозаике — не только повод полюбоваться красотой пластики человеческого тела. Это образ «нового человека», где атлетизм и грация становятся эстетическими идеалами социалистического общества. Изображение гимнасток на фоне солнца и волн на фасаде Машиностроительного колледжа символизирует не просто личные достижения, а гармоничное развитие личности, триумф воли и жизненную энергию.

В контексте советского монументализма такие сюжеты утверждали физическую крепость народа как основу трудовой доблести, оборонной мощи и движения вперед — к светлому будущему.

Народный танец:
Гостеприимство и совершенство

Саусалито — небольшой городок в Калифорнии, столица местной богемы. Практически все наиболее успешные жители Северной Калифорнии (и не только) стараются обзавестись домиком в этом городе. Здесь давно обосновались знаменитости: писатели, галеристы, актеры, режиссеры, политики. Именно поэтому в Саусалито одни из самых дорогих в США жильë, рестораны, магазины, галереи и даже заправки. Мозаика изначально была частью входной группы Villa Roma в Сан-Франциско, а позже перенесена в парк Мариншип в Саусалито. Автор этого панно — Жан Варда — часто обращался к истории и мифам, считая, что «ничто не вечно, пока оно не превращено в миф». Фигуры на мозаике стилизованы под античных персонажей в современной сюрреалистической интерпретации. Работа крайне театральна, хотя и не является иллюстрацией к конкретной пьесе. Композиция строится как мизансцена с яркими костюмами, что характерно для Варды, известного также как художник по костюмам. В центре изображены женские фигуры с корзинами на головах, что отсылает к традиционным образам носильщиц и греческих кариатид.

В центре композиции на фасаде ДК в Янале мужчина и женщина в башкирских народных костюмах. Мужской танец в башкирской традиции часто отличается динамичностью и элементами, имитирующими движения всадника или воина, в то время как женский — плавностью и изяществом. Слева изображены музыканты, играющие на народных инструментах. Среди них можно узнать курай (длинная флейта) и баян или гармонь, которые являются неотъемлемой частью башкирской культуры.

В плиточной мозаике, расположенной на здании школы в Грузии, трое танцоров в традиционных мужских костюмах (стилизованных чохах разных цветов) исполняют энергичный народный танец. Согнутая в колене нога и поднятая вверх рука — характерные движения многих кавказских мужских плясок. Эта сцена является частью более крупной сюжетной композиции. В центре пара молодых людей: юноша держит в руках чертеж или свиток (символ инженерного дела и архитектуры), а девушка — книгу или портфель (символ образования). Их образы олицетворяют будущее страны и преемственность знаний. Справа от центральной пары изображены три танцующие женские фигуры в ярких костюмах.

В июне 2024 года в ходе реновации школы мозаика была полностью демонтирована и уничтожена, несмотря на протесты фондов по охране культурного наследия

Сцены танца часто использовались для оформления фасадов зданий в союзных республиках как символ гостеприимства и открытости. Танец, как и спорт, демонстрировал совершенство советского человека, его достижения в культуре.

Юноша в мозаике КДЦ «Сатурн», сидя на пригорке, играет на дудочке, тогда как девушка в длинном сарафане до пят танцует под музыку, помогая себе платочками. Эта сцена отсылает к народному творчеству, фольклорным ансамблям песни и пляски. Цветовое решение окружающего героев пространства подчеркивает нарядность, торжественность и вместе с тем обыденность происходящего действия. Молодой человек одет в крестьянскую рубаху с вышитым красными треугольниками воротом и подолом, подпоясанную лентой. Лапти на ногах имеют высокую шнуровку, оплетающую штанины. Платье девушки расшито по низу красными ромбами и треугольниками — это перекликается с орнаментом на одежде аккомпаниатора. Голубые и синие тона в вышивке созвучны оттенкам платочков, которыми она подчеркивает изящество танца. Короткие рукава фонарики не характерны для народного костюма, на голове — простая косынка. Интересно в данном случае представлено окружение. Несмотря на отсутствие конкретных изображений, кажется, будто пара находится на зеленом лугу с покосной травой, среди березовых рощ, у прохладного ручья. По склону пригорка, где сидит юноша, видны веточки растений. Слева и справа перемежаются цвета: зеленый — символ листвы на деревьях; желтый — отражение солнца, голубой — символ воды; красный — цветы и ягоды. Сюжетная сцена — часть большой аллегорической композиции со скрипичным ключом и театральной маской, под которой четыре символические фигуры: театр, цирк, изобразительное искусство, музыка, символом атомной энергетики и голубем — символом мира.

Парк Мира в Равенне:
Универсальность языка

В эпоху хрущевской оттепели начались первые культурные обмены в рамках стран соцблока (страны СЭВ (Совет экономической взаимопомощи). Художники стали выезжать на творческие дачи и симпозиумы в ГДР, Польшу и Венгрию, где рамки цензуры были значительно шире. В период «застоя» (1970-е – начало 1980-х) проводились международные симпозиумы скульпторов и мозаичистов. Однако участие в них жестко регламентировалось: требовалась «выездная виза» и характеристика от Союза художников. В конце 1980-х международные симпозиумы по мозаике и скульптуре стали проводиться и внутри СССР (например, в Прибалтике и Грузии), куда свободно приезжали иностранные мастера.

Парк PARCO DELLA PACE (Парк Мира) в Равенне (Италия), был построен в 1980-х годах в жилом районе города за пределами исторического центра. Это пространство объединило мозаичные работы художников со всего мира — мастеров из Италии, Бельгии, Австрии, США, Израиля и СССР. Участие в проекте легитимизировало советскую школу мозаики в контексте мирового модернизма в архитектуре и монументальном искусстве: на Западе ее нередко воспринимали исключительно как пропагандистскую.

Парк Мира в Равенне — наглядное свидетельство универсальности языка искусства, для которого не существует государственных границ и политических барьеров. Все работы объединены темой «Мир и дружба между народами». Ансамбль открыли в 1988 году, когда еще существовала Берлинская стена, что придавало теме братства особую актуальность. Проект был организован Международной ассоциацией современных мозаичистов (International Association of Contemporary Mosaicists, сокр. AIMS) и муниципалитета Равенны. В международную художественную комиссию под председательством историка искусства Джулио Карло Аргана входили Пальма Букарелли, Марио Маньери Элиа, Акилле Бонито Олива и Пьер Рестани.

В парке представлены работы: Клода Раира («Senza titolo» — Бельгия), Купе Маргарет («Un Pacifico libero dall’Atomica» — Новая Зеландия), Джерри В. Картера («La Seconda Genesi» — США), Александра Корноухова («L’Uomo e la Natura» — СССР), Миммо Паладино (Альберо делла Вита — Италия), Бруно Сэтти (Сан Микеле — Италия), Жозетт Деру (Альберо делла Вита — Франция), Эдда Малли (Ле Али делла Паче — Австрия) и Людвига Шаффрат (Германия).

В 1980-е годы советская школа мозаики считалась одной из сильнейших в мире благодаря масштабным государственным заказам, поэтому участие мастеров из СССР в международных проектах стало естественным признанием их профессионализма. Одним из таких проектов как раз стал Парк Мира в Равенне.

Хочется отметить, что работа «Человек и природа» необычайно органично смотрится среди других произведений Парка Мира, что свидетельствует о том, что советская школа мозаики была созвучна модернистским тенденциям мирового монументального искусства тех лет.

Итальянская сторона проявила завидное упорство. Мэрия Равенны и оргкомитет Парка Мира настаивали на том, что проект должен реализовать именно автор победившего эскиза, и буквально «выбивали» визу для художника.

В результате Александр Корноухов смог выехать в Италию только в 1986 году. Его мозаичная скульптура «Человек и природа» (L'uomo e la natura) создавалась на месте, так как транспортировка готовой скульптуры из СССР и ее монтаж обошлись бы в баснословную сумму.

В 1982 году художник Александр Корноухов выиграл международный конкурс на создание мозаики для этого парка — его проект признали лучшим среди работ мастеров со всего мира. Однако, несмотря на победу и официальное приглашение от мэрии Равенны, советские власти долго не давали разрешение на выезд. История Корноухова стала классическим примером бюрократизированной системы управления позднесоветского периода. Считалось, что столь важную международную работу должен выполнять более «проверенный» и статусный мастер. Сам художник не занимал высоких постов в Союзе художников и не входил в списки тех, кого обычно отправляли на зарубежные форумы.