Sergey Timofeevich Konenkov was a renowned Russian and Soviet sculptor, a member of the Academy of Arts. Before the revolution, he was referred to as the 'Russian Rodin.' He was born on July 10, 1874, in the village of Karakovichi near Smolensk to a family of prosperous peasants who managed to buy their freedom from serfdom after the 1812 war. Sergey studied at a progymnasium and then passed the exams for a classical gymnasium as an external student. In 1892 and 1899, he studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture under S. I. Ivanov and S. M. Volnukhin, completing the course with the title of non-classical artist. In 1897, together with K. A. Klotdt, he was sent abroad at the expense of the interest from the S. M. Tretyakov Prize, visiting Germany, France, and Italy. Upon returning, in 1898, he created the statue 'Stonebreaker.' In 1899 and 1902, he studied at the Higher Art School of the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg under V. A. Beklemishev. For his diploma work 'Samson tearing the bonds,' he received the title of sculptor in 1902, but the sculpture was destroyed by the Academy officials due to its revolutionary nature.

In 1905, at the beginning of the revolution, Konenkov was in Moscow and actively participated in the events, organizing combat squads and fighting on the barricades. These events were reflected in his works, such as the portraits 'Worker-Combatant of 1905 Ivan Churkin,' 'Slav,' 'Peasant,' and 'Nike.'

Konenkov's personal life was complicated. His first wife was the model Tatiana Konyayeva, who served as a model for many of his works, including 'Nike.' They had two children, but after ten years, Konenkov met Margarita Vorontsova, with whom he married in early 1922. In 1923, they went to America, where they participated in an exhibition of Soviet art. Konenkov's sculptures, for which Margarita was the model, were particularly popular.

Konenkov worked with various materials and created numerous wooden works inspired by Russian fairy tales and mythology. Among them are 'Old Men of the Field,' 'Forest Spirits,' 'Great Power,' 'Stribog,' and 'Eruslan Lazarevich.' Female figures are represented in works like 'Winged,' 'Firebird,' and 'Caryatid.' Later, he created a Greek series with works 'Youth' and 'Gorus.' During the revolutionary period, he created the bas-relief 'To Those Who Fell in the Struggle for Peace and Brotherhood of Nations.' He also created portraits of famous people such as Turgenev, Mayakovsky, and Tsiolkovsky. His creativity encompassed bronze, wood, stone, bas-reliefs, and canvases, reflecting various stages of his life and era.

In 1965, an exhibition of his works was held at the Moscow House of Artists on Kuznetsky Most, timed to the 90th anniversary of his birth. Sergey Timofeevich Konenkov passed away on December 9, 1971, and was buried in Moscow at Novodevichy Cemetery, where his self-portrait is installed, for which he received the Lenin Prize.