“Symbolism of Soviet Realism and its usage by contemporary artists”

“Symbolism of Soviet Realism and its usage by contemporary artists”

Evaluative study

Sofya Simakova

This essay is devoted to the symbolism of Socialist Realism during the Soviet era in Russia and its

relevance in contemporary Russian paintings. This paper will discuss common symbols used in Soviet

realism, their social and political significance and impact on the masses. Finally, the paper will examinecontemporary artists who use the symbols of the Soviet times, and compare of methods of utilization

of these symbols during the communist political system in Russia and nowadays.

The primary research questions are: what is the role of symbolism in the visual arts and architecture of the former Soviet state? How was it used by artists during that time? What were the psychological impacts and influences it had on the nation’s people?

Through addressing these questions, this paper will outline how the usage of this particular kind of symbolism has changed over time, how contemporary artists have applied the realities of the Soviet period in their work, and what is the difference between the symbols of the Soviet and modern eras?

Throughout most of the existence of the Soviet Union, the government officially controlled the genre of art called Socialist Realism. This genre was employed to represent a seemingly truthful, historically accurate reflection on the reality in the state’s revolutionary development, as well as to keep within a certain communist aesthetic. The ideological component of this art began to move to the forefront: as Lenin stated, "art belongs to people. It must have its deepest roots in the very base of the working masses, it should be clear for these masses and loved by them. It has to express feelings, thoughts and the spirit of the masses, to raise them.”[1]

The first Commissar of education, Anatoly Lunacharsky, clearly identified the role of art in the USSR in his composition called Revolution and Art. He stated: "art is a powerful tool of propaganda, and the revolution aimed to adapt art for propaganda purposes"[2]. Genres such as cubism and futurism were perceived by the state to be incomprehensible for a broad audience, and thus, in response to this, Socialist Realism used more realistic visual forms that were "similar to daily life”. The ideological calculation was simple: the more simple and accessible the artwork, the more it could create an idea that a bright and happy life exists. The method of using simple every day visualisations was important because it seemed to remove the contradiction between the material and the spiritual, between the real world and the idealised view of history. By manipulating people's minds, the ideas of Socialist Realism were able to make it so that a simple, mundane and easily understandable form of expression started to seem artistic. Artists of the time used allegorical images and symbolic language, which effectively acted upon the mass consciousness. Almost all of the creative fields of the time were influenced by Socialist Realism: architecture, sculpture, painting, and even music and films. Let us consider some of the most influential examples of artistic symbolism in Soviet art and analyze them.

A strong example of artistic symbolism in the early period of the USSR is the monument called the “Third International” by Vladimir Tatlin, which was designed in 1920. The monument was intended to be for the supreme bodies of power, namelyworld-wide worker’s and peasant’s government (Comintern). Gradually it became a symbol of a new kind of art, an expression of braveness and determination of searching. In fact it was never built. The tower was supposed to have a set of two sloping metal spirals. These two spirals would consist of a series of buildings with different geometrical forms placed one above the other, harmoniously interconnected. As if by coincidence, it reminds us of another tower - the Babylonian one - as well as being utopian in its conception and also unrealized. After all, the project by Tatlin was planned as a symbol of reunion of mankind, which was separated by language barriers while building the Tower of Babel. This tower is the bridge between heaven and earth; the architectural embodiment of the world tree; the support of the universe. “Third International” was to be built from industrial materials: iron, glass, steel, everything that was loved so much by the futurist movement. The construction in material, form and function, was intended to become the symbol of this bright future.

Another example of an influential monument is the “Worker and Kolkhoz Woman” by Vera Mukhina. It was created for the Soviet pavilion at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1937, according to the plan of Boris Iofan. It represented the so-called "spirit of the times" so clearly that it has became a symbol of the country for a certain period of its history and continues to be such today. This monument features a dynamic sculptural group of two figures that express the unity of the workers and peasants. A young man and a girl hold in their raised hands the hammer and sickle, the symbols of the Soviet Union. Emotional, dynamic and looking forward, the group is constructed using realistic human proportions. The use of the straight line is impressive, creating a clear image of the geometry of constructivism. The sculptor paid special attention to the position of the hands and arms of the figures. Their gestures symbolize the unity, hard work and diligence of many millions of people. The construction of dark steel illuminates the depth and composition even more. This monument was considered as a "benchmark of Socialist Realism" in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia.

“Worker and Kolkhoz woman” by Vera Mukhina, 1937

In Soviet art, the adoption of the state symbols into paintings from this time contributes to their overall aesthetic. This is especially clear in the images of political leaders. Alexander Gerasimov, one of the most famous "courtier" artists of Stalinist period, often created the image of the "wise leader", which played an important role in propaganda campaigns. His massive canvases featured triumphant images of soldiers looking heroic. This method of propaganda disguised as art, was creating the standards of the official style of Soviet art.

“Stalin and Voroshilov in the Kremlin” by Alexander Gerasimov, 1938

The monumental painting "Stalin and Voroshilov in the Kremlin" occupies a central position in Socialist Realism. The two leaders of the Soviet state are depicted on the path of the Kremlin, and in front of them there is a wide and industrially beautiful panoramic view of Moscow, while the city is still being built. Stalin and Voroshilov are depicted, as masterminds of this city in progress, their figures, with coats fluttering in the wind, are full of energy, purposefulness, calmness and determination. A German historian Jan Plumper wrote: "everything in it is symbolic. Stalin here is the center of the Soviet Cosmos... Stalin embodies the state, Voroshilov - the Red Army.”[3] Therefore, the army, embodied in Voroshilov, protects the Soviet people, personified by Stalin. The fence is an additional symbol of protection. There is a gap in the fence, behind the figure of Voroshilov, catches the eyes, offering a view of the Moscow River and, more importantly, a view of the columns of the people on the other side... Thus, the motive behind this scene is to depict a strong and critical connection between the leader of the country and the people. It is obvious that the artist has not chosen this moment of the construction of Moscow accidentally. Within the picture there are also the traces of rainfall. This motif can be understood as a symbol of renewal, not only of nature but also of the entire Soviet country with its new, socialist system. This painting transmits its message to the viewer in a simple and clear way. The message conveys the states’ desire to depict the strength and firmness of all the great nations of the Union; the power and heroism of the Red Army and their connection to the wellbeing of the people.

The symbolism employed by Aleksandr Deyneka is very different from his other contemporaries. “The Defense of Sevastopol”, which was created during the Second World War, has a particularly strong emotional impact on the viewer. Instead of realistically rendering the battle scene, he painted a symbolic clash of two opposing forces - life and death, or the sons of the motherland vs. the enemy troops. The violence of this fight is mostly conveyed through the colour palette. The clothing of the the Russian sailors is white, their figures clearly stand out against the dark background. In contrast to this, the figures of the Germans are dark on a light background. The faces of the sailors are open to the audience, we can see their facial expressions, whereas the German soldiers’ identities remain hidden. The figure of a sailor in the foreground defines the center of the composition, he is a symbol of a fierce battle. The tension and dynamics of these contrasting figures is complemented by a gloomy blue sea, ruins of homes, and a red and black sky, a result of the fire and smoke. In its form and content, this painting appears to be almost a propaganda poster, and for it's contemporaries and later generations the picture became the personification of the bravery of the defenders, of the state fighting for their motherland.

What we can learn from these examples of Socialist Realism is how imperative it was for Soviet artists to express the values of the state in their work. Most art from this era had to have an ideological stance in favour of the Soviet state. This had different visual manifestations forms, materials, colors, images and symbols - to unite the nation on the path to communism.

In comparison to the Soviet era, contemporary Russian society has no clearly defined national idea. This is reflected in the artworks of today. However, recent Russian art sometimes uses the old symbolism of the USSR. In the 1990s especially, artists used Soviet ideological symbols, such as depicting scenes of communal life, which seem exotic or romantic, from a nostalgic standpoint. Sometimes this may be because of nostalgia for a more spiritual togetherness of the past, or an attempt to accept the nation’s Soviet history. Their view of history is often expressed in a cold fashion, almost like an ethnographic interest of a lost civilization, which is so different from the reality of our time. Sometimes they use irony to critique this old set of values, turning it into the beliefs of cults, which were imposed on the people for many years. In this way, old Soviet symbols are still alive nowadays, and artists use them to express their feelings and ideas of this time period.

An ironic point of view of the symbolism of the Soviet Union clearly manifested itself in the Sots Art (Soviet Pop Art) movement. This artistic movement reconsidered the symbols of Soviet ideology using humor and sarcasm. This expression was invented by creative duet of Komar and Melamid in 1972. By recycling clichés, symbols and images of Soviet art and by using the motives of the Soviet political ideology, Sots Art in a playful, often defying manner, changed the meaning of traditional symbols, and tried to free the viewer from the ideological stereotypes. Even with the fall of the Soviet Union Sots Art continued to have an influence over Russian art. However, gradually Sots Art organically joined more contemporary art and today it is seen as a part of post-modernism.

The artists of Sots Art often use the same symbols and images from Socialist Realism, but with absolutely different aims. Usually they are focused on communicating not to the broad masses of workers and peasants, but to the well-educated, supposedly enlightened intelligentsia. In the works these artists, symbols lose their ideological pathos and become the object of artistic expression. Images of the leaders and the heraldic symbols of the state now are presented from a different angle. If an artist of the Sots Art movement depicts Stalin, the old leader is not shown heroic, enjoying the view of a progressing

Moscow, rather in one example, he sits in his chair, looking on the naked the woman on the painting "Soviet Venera” by Sokov.

In a group of paintings entitled: "Nostalgic Socialist Realism," by Komar and Melamid, the laws of totalitarian art are brought to the point of absurdity in quite an academic manner. They use more iconic motifs.. They also paint portraits of Stalin, such as "Once in a childhood I saw Stalin," these paintings are created very specific style, using the typical dark colors of the past. However the classical harmony is broken by extraordinary details: demonstrators meet little green dinosaur, pioneer girl sits with her skirt lifted, and the muse gently supports Joseph Stalin's chin, as in the painting "The Origin of Socialist Realism", there is a muse looking at the father of the nation

In Leonid Sokov’s most famous work: "The meeting of two sculptures", which is meant to be Lenin and Giacometti, he combines the squat leader and a fragile walking man to show the external weakness of the Soviet regime. Thus, the once all-encompassing, or majestic style of Socialist Realism is reduced to a standard vocabulary of symbols and signs, which Sots-Art employs as an elementary language of metaphors to create new interpretations of the old nation state.

Boris Orlov, one of the brightest representatives of the underground movement of the 1970-1980's, was also a key developer of Sots-Art.

"Sneering at the ideological and visual clichés of Soviet times, he created sculptural objects, totems, decorated with medals and other attributes of power which were popularized and put into public consciousness through TV screens, visual propaganda and all the spheres of life. With the collapse of the Soviet Union the usual clichés were gone and new ones began to appear. In this period of art, Orlov also was at a turning point, there was less irony reflections about cataclysms of history, the phenomenon of time, human memory and oblivion came to the forefront."[4]

Orlov’s more recent works: "Blazing Empire", "The Death of the Gods", "Parade of astral bodies", and the project "Phantom Pains", all clearly reflect his attitude to a bygone era. He was not indifferent, he was going through the loss of collective memory of a heroic image in post-Soviet history. In the series of paintings "Cruel Chronos" the artist underlines the contrast between the public memory, which is represented in the form of old photos of the 1920-1940's (Memory),

Erik Bulatov’s work uses the symbols of the Soviet time without being ironic. He uses formal portraits of the leaders and Soviet slogans as raw materials for his creative experiments. His most characteristic style is the collision of poster text, snatched out of the context of the Soviet reality, with a background or landscape that has been borrowed from the mass press. For example, in the painting, "Glory to the CPSU" the Soviet slogan, depicted as a lattice that obscures the sky. In another painting "The Horizon" a red carpet does the same with the sea, smothering it, representing the theft of liberty and freedom.

“The Horizon” by Erik Bulatov, 1971

In 2004, the creative alliance of Komar and Melamid fell apart. In recent years Komar works individually in the style of "New Symbolism”. Komar describes this transition: "I ​​still do Sots Art, working in collaboration, if I can say so, with history of art, where there is a special area of ​​the so-called visual symbols, emblems. The symbolism of a peculiar continuation of social realism." [5] The artist is trying to start the new trend in the artistic world, using new original combination of political and religious symbols, not forgetting about the Soviet images.

Artists Vladimir Dubossarsky and Aleksander Vinogradov managed to breathe in a new meaning to the art of Socialist Realism without abandoning the traditions of Soviet art. They sought to replace Soviet ideology with that of the new mass media, representing western glamour and ideals. In their paintings, the symbolism of the Soviet era smoothly flows into more modern symbolism. According to art critic Victor Miziano "Dubossarsky and Vinogradov are attracted in Soviet art by exactly what has provoked opposition for Sots Art - its life-affirming pathos, it's impulse toward totality. Understanding themselves as the artistic agents of proclaimed liberal reform, they are in dialogue with socialist realism, have appealed to a huge resource of modernization of the Soviet project."[6]

I have decided to give an analysis of painting by Vinogradov and Dubossarsky called “Open Air. A painting for a School”(1995, oil on canvas, 240/200). The central figure in the painting is Arnold Schwarzenegger showing off his muscular, athletic body to enthusiastic children who surround him. Behind the group, we find Sylvester Stallone standing in front of a canvas holding a palette of colours and a brush. He is represented as the artist of the “open air” lesson, painting the composition described above.

Vinogradov and Dubossarsky have used very bright, clear colours, which reflect the tones used in traditional Soviet Realist paintings. Features such as a light blue sky and sun shining through white clouds in the centre of the composition, also remind the viewer of the style and techniques of depicting nature in Soviet Realism. Everything looks very welcoming and positive, but also fake. Texture does not play a big role in this painting, given that the brush-marks are not visible, somehow this adds to the overall feeling that this scene is not of this world.

As I mentioned before, the painting gives a feeling of its connection with Soviet Realism, not only through its formal style, but also through the ideas conveyed. Vinogradov and Dubossarsky show us how during “Perestroyka”, or the collapse of Soviet state, people chose new heroes, new role models, and a new life style. America was the most developed and “forbidden” country during the USSR, therefore after the iron curtains between these two countries fell, people of a new country “Russia” chose to drink Coca-Cola and look at posters of Mr Schwarzenegger. Also, this composition was not chosen by artists randomly, one of Stalin’s propaganda tools was to have posters and paintings made of him surrounded by school kids with flowers in their hands. (ex: “Roses for Stalin” by Vladimirsky). In this way, the artists demonstrate through their use of symbolism, colour and form, how mass culture was replaced by another foreign culture.

As we can see, the symbolism used in Soviet art does have its relevance even nowadays. This kind of art had the monopoly on creative work for a long time, as well as influencing the art of the future generations. The symbols of that time stay important even after decades. Looking for their own contemporary ideology, the artists of today are trying to construct this from the past. Sometimes this involves mocking and making fun of it, and eventually creating a new "product". Moreover, they are also trying to find the missing moral and material values ​​of the newer times. The content of Socialist Realism was often more important than form. Consequently, artists of today often use the existing time-tested form like Soviet symbolism, just changing the direction of its content, showing socialist ideals while also reflecting on the absurdity of mass ideology and the crisis of realism.

It was very important for me to write this essay, because I feel that that these art works and stories are my roots. I also feel very sorry for these artists and can say that non-conformism is still strongly forbidden in Russia, the example for it can be the art-group “Pussy Riot”. On my opinion the idea of art for being beautiful nowadays is not strong enough, art can be used as a tool for showing one’s opinion and may be even fighting against repressive and conservative government.

[1] “Lenin about Literature and Art” M., 1969. S. 663

[2] “A.V. Lunacharsky about the fine art” v. 2, p. 65

[3] Yang Plumper “Stalin cult. The study of alchemy of the power” Yale University Press, 2012

[4] http://www.tretyakovgallery.ru/ru/calendar/exhibitions/exhibitions3993/

[5] http://russian-bazaar.com/ru/content/100622.htm

[6] http://www.dubossarskyvinogradov.com/ru/vystavki/na_rajone/novaya_iskrennost

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