Volcano

Volcano is a male nude bronze sculpture by Sergei Oganov portraying Vulcan, the ancient Roman god of fire and patron of blacksmiths, craftsmen, and foundry workers — and, in the artist's interpretation, of sculptors as well. Oganov presents him as a powerful but lonely and weary figure. The work was created during a difficult period for the artist, and many of his colleagues see it as a kind of self-portrait. Inner tension is conveyed through the stillness of the body, silence, and solitude — a pause between accomplishments, when the artist has stopped.