Class 16 The Visual Arts in 1921-53. The Art of Political Poster. Russian artists had long expected the Revolution; some-with fear, others looked forward to it with hope; -change: no more rich customers; no more well-born patrons; -however, art continued to have an audience: people who sought answers in art, who used art as a means of understanding of what was going on around them; - the artistic world after the Revolution: a general enthusiasm and a desire to work for others, for all, for Russia; search for innovation; -questions: which artists would the Soviet Republic need? what would the Revolution and the working people accept? We, Russians, are living through an epoch which has few equals in epic scale... An artist's job, an artist's obligation is to see what is conceived. What then is conceived? To redo everything. to arrange things so that everything becomes new; so that the false, dirty, ugly life which is ours becomes a just life, pure, gay, beautiful... "Peace and the brotherhood of nations"-that is the banner beneath which the Russian Revolution is taking place. This is the music which they who have ears to hear must hear.. With all your body, all your heart and all your mind, Listen to the Revolution! Alexander Block (1918) -Similar to the French Revolution, the art of the people had taken to the streets once victory was achieved. Mass street performances and celebrations; -Lenin proposed something entirely new: monumental propaganda; -think about the paradox of the term itself... propaganda, by nature, is something dynamic and contemporary; in contrast, monumentality tends towards the timeless; Lenin explained that he meant to connect the past, present, and future -Examples: memorials to the most eminent freedom fighters in history were to stand on streets and squares; among those, Marx and Engels, Radishchev, Pestel, Herzen, Sophia Perovskaya, also, Marat, /Saint-Simon, Fourier, Garibaldi. -writers, scholars, composers were also include. Lenin planned for 67 sculptures to be erected in Moscow and other cities; -the artists had no conception of how the "statues of the new world" should be different from the sculptures of the past; -the monuments were unveiled solemnly, before large crowds of people; -Autumn, 1917 an Appeal of the Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies stated: "Citizens, our former masters have gone away, leaving a huge legacy behind them. It now belongs to all the people. Citizens, take good care of this legacy, all these file:///d /FACULTY%20WEBSITES/Luba/HTML_2/courses/rus_cult/lecture16/lect16.htm (1 of 14)8/9/2004 6:15:01 AM
pictures, statues, and buildings. They embody your and your forefathers' spiritual strength." -The state nationalized and took under its protection picture galleries, art collections, architectural monuments, the Tretyakov Gallery... -In April 1919, an enormous exhibit in the Winter Palace, more than 3, 000 works were displayed; -artists started depicting ordinary objects of life. Pertrov-Vodkin; -made decorations for revolutionary holidays (decorating palaces of St. Petersburg for the 1st anniversary of the Revolution); -interesting pieces of theatrical scenery; Alexander Benois; -posters: bear witness to the dramatic moments, ideas and notions of the time; -monumental posters were painted overnight; -depiction of Lenin; he didn't like to pose for portraits; -gradually various spheres of art merged into a new visual style, giving the epoch its own distinctive image. -the realia of those years can be confused with no others. Headlines of newspapers and journals, labels, postage stamps, money, document covers, posters, although diverse, all bore the mark of the epoch; -realism co-existed with abstractionism -the country's new heraldry- a state emblem, flags, a new set of symbols-all new and exciting; -a new vision of a new man, revealing a character that typifies and personifies the new epoch; -landscapes: simple things become symbols; -the realist artists won wide recognition in the Soviet Russia; -(AARR-Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia). file:///d /FACULTY%20WEBSITES/Luba/HTML_2/courses/rus_cult/lecture16/lect16.htm (2 of 14)8/9/2004 6:15:01 AM
There is no higher heroism/purpose than to help making my homeland safe. This officer, hero of the Soviet Union, commands the border patrol troops. file:///d /FACULTY%20WEBSITES/Luba/HTML_2/courses/rus_cult/lecture16/lect16.htm (3 of 14)8/9/2004 6:15:01 AM
The 9th May 1945 - Victory! Victory! Victory! Victory! file:///d /FACULTY%20WEBSITES/Luba/HTML_2/courses/rus_cult/lecture16/lect16.htm (4 of 14)8/9/2004 6:15:01 AM
The Great Seal of Soviet Union, banner reads Proletarians of all countries, unite!, in 15 languages of 15 soviet republics. file:///d /FACULTY%20WEBSITES/Luba/HTML_2/courses/rus_cult/lecture16/lect16.htm (5 of 14)8/9/2004 6:15:01 AM
The [Communist] Party - The intellect, honour and conscience of our era! Lenin. file:///d /FACULTY%20WEBSITES/Luba/HTML_2/courses/rus_cult/lecture16/lect16.htm (6 of 14)8/9/2004 6:15:01 AM
The Constitution Day (October 7th). Family is under protection of the Government. file:///d /FACULTY%20WEBSITES/Luba/HTML_2/courses/rus_cult/lecture16/lect16.htm (7 of 14)8/9/2004 6:15:01 AM
For socialistic law and order. Our strenght is in the unity with nation. Photo of Dzerzhinsky, the early director of soviet secret police. In the middle pictured a policeman. Medals of the police and Ministry of Interior. file:///d /FACULTY%20WEBSITES/Luba/HTML_2/courses/rus_cult/lecture16/lect16.htm (8 of 14)8/9/2004 6:15:01 AM
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Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! It is the WW2 soviet soldier. Coming home winning, evidently, surprisingly he looks really sad. file:///d /FACULTY%20WEBSITES/Luba/HTML_2/courses/rus_cult/lecture16/lect16.htm (10 of 14)8/9/2004 6:15:01 AM
We won't let you do bad job! The Communistic Subbotnik ("voluntary", non-paid, extra shift on Saturdays) requires the highest pruductivity of work! file:///d /FACULTY%20WEBSITES/Luba/HTML_2/courses/rus_cult/lecture16/lect16.htm (11 of 14)8/9/2004 6:15:01 AM
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Towards peace and agreement. The wish about the nations within the Soviet Union.... file:///d /FACULTY%20WEBSITES/Luba/HTML_2/courses/rus_cult/lecture16/lect16.htm (13 of 14)8/9/2004 6:15:01 AM
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