Soviet Art

Work by Soviet artist K. Kazanchan. Expanse, 1955. 1950s All-Union exhibitions of Soviet Art

All-Union exhibitions of Soviet Art

The All-Union Art Exhibition dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution was held from November 5, 1957 to March 16, 1958 in Moscow at the Central Exhibition Hall. Also, at the USSR Academy of Arts, in the House of Artists, in the exhibition hall of the USSR Union of Artists and in several other halls of the capital. The exhibition became the largest event of the year in contemporary Soviet and European fine arts.
Republican exhibition committees, composed of the most respected experts carried out the direct selection of works for the exhibition. In total, they selected over 5500 works for exhibiting and published an illustrated catalog of the exhibition.
In total, 2142 artists from all republics of the USSR took part in the exhibition. Noteworthy, most of the works were previously shown at city, regional and republican exhibitions of 1957. Many of them subsequently ended up in the collections of art museums, as well as acquired by the RSFSR Art Fund, domestic and foreign galleries and collectors.
Read more »

Beautiful design of chess series match labels of 1966, the USSR. Soviet chess inspired matchbox labels

Soviet chess inspired matchbox labels
The popularity of chess in the Soviet Union was enormous, to which contributed the permanent world championships of the Soviet school. Chess populated in the media, it was a prestigious sport, with its intellectuality standing over and slightly over the rest sports. Champions and close to them in terms of level were known and revered. Accordingly, all chess subjects in philately, numismatics, and Phillumeny, too, enjoyed great interest. Fortunately, interest in collecting, which fell down after the collapse of the USSR, begins to revive again.
First of all, the Phillumeny clubs appeared in late 1950’s – early 1960’s, in the largest cities of the USSR. However, they were unofficial and worked as collectors’ clubs of philatelists, and supervised by the All-Union Society of Philatelists. The flourishing of Phillumeny in the USSR falls on the 1960s and 1980s, when the Balabanovskaya match factory printed labels for most match factories. In particular, they produced special sets for phillumenists (100 regular labels in a set and sets of souvenir gift labels). In addition, the Baltic factories printed similar sets.
Read more »

Konstantin Batyushkov monument. Work by Soviet Russian sculptor Vyacheslav Klykov (19 October 1939 — 2 June 2006)

The USSR State Prize laureate, Soviet Russian sculptor Vyacheslav Klykov (19 October 1939 — 2 June 2006)

Born into a peasant family, Vyacheslav Klykov grew up in the remote village of Myrmyzhi, Kursk Region. He studied at the construction college and the Kursk Pedagogical Institute. In 1968 he graduated from the sculpture faculty of the Surikov Art Institute, workshops of Nikolai Tomsky and Matvey Manizer.

According to Klykov himself, such sculptors as Alexander Matveev, Sergey Konenkov and Georgy Motovilov influenced him. The first work of Klykov was the composition “Youth”, depicting a boy with a foal.
Read more »

To school tomorrow. 1957. Oil on canvas. Painting by Soviet artist Mikhail Arkadievich Suzdaltsev (22 January 1917 – 9 January 1998)

Soviet artist Mikhail Arkadievich Suzdaltsev

Born 22 January 1917 in Sudogda, Vladimir province Suzdaltsev is a famous Sovie painter. He studied at the Odessa art school in 1935-38. Next, he studied (1938-48) at the Moscow art Institute, workshop of I. Surikov, Pokarzhevsky, A. A. Osmerkin, G. M. Shegal (diploma painting – “A.M. Gorky and Ya. M. Sverdlov on the Volga”).
Since 1948, he has been a regular participant in art exhibitions, specializing in thematic paintings and landscapes. Member of the USSR Union of artists, he was an Honored artist of the RSFSR. Noteworthy, in 1951 he became the winner of the Stalin prize of the II degree (1951) for the picture “Power to the Soviets – peace to the peoples” (1950, with co-authors).
Suzdaltsev lived and worked in Moscow until his death on January 9, 1998. His works are in the state Tretyakov gallery, the State Russian Museum, and the Saratov art Museum of Radishcheva. Also, Ulyanovsk regional art Museum, Sochi art Museum, Odessa art Museum and Alexandrovskaya Sloboda Museum-reserve. In addition, in private collections in Russia, Japan, USA, England, Germany and Norway.
Read more »

E. T. Migunov. Picture for the booklet ‘Welcome’. Soviet Art for XXII Moscow Olympiad

Soviet Art for XXII Moscow Olympiad
Games of the XXII Olympiad, held in July-August 1980 in Moscow, have already become history. But in the memory of thousands of athletes participating in the competition, Muscovites and guests who have come to our country from many countries, hundreds of millions of TV viewers, they will forever remain a holiday of youth and health. Also, the clearest proof of how friendly and fruitful people can live and work together, cooperate and compete regardless of nationality and skin color.
The capital of the USSR was the first city of the socialist state in which the Olympic Games were held, the largest sports competitions of our time. Admittedly, they were a great success. Soviet art masters made an important contribution to the atmosphere of festivity and hospitality that distinguished the Games. Among them designers, monumentalists, graphic artists, painters, sculptors, poster and applied artists.
Read more »

The rivals. 1989. The State Tretyakov Gallery. Soviet Russian painter Nikolay Kasatkin (1859-1930)

Soviet Russian painter Nikolay Kasatkin

In December 1859, in the house of the philistine engraver Alexei Kasatkin was born a son, called Nikolay. The house stood in a vacant lot, behind a large mansion of a noble man. But the splendorof the mansion only emphasized the poverty, filth and gray dilapidated houses of Grachevka, where the poor settled. The boy grew up recalling pictures of people’s lives from childhood. He recalled gloomy workers, pale faces of working women, heard drunken songs, quarrels of shopkeepers and craftsmen. But it was here, in the line, that he began to love the working people.
The boy started drawing early. His father beautifully reproduced drawings on wood and stone and was in fact, the best engraver in Moscow. In addition, he taught drawing, and little Kolya studied with his students.
Fourteen-year-old Kolya entered the Art School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where his teachers were outstanding artists of Russia V. Perov and A. Savrasov.
Read more »

Charming peasant girl. 1945. Oil on canvas. Painting by Soviet Russian artist Fedot Vasilievich Sychkov (March 1870 – August 1958)

Soviet Russian artist Fedot Vasilievich Sychkov

“I like to picture ordinary people not only in work, but also to show their cheerfulness, fun, and games. I think that in this inexhaustible optimism of a simple Russian man is his great creative power, firm belief in a happy future”the artist wrote.
Born in a poor peasant family, early orphaned, Fedot Vasilievich Sychkov spent his childhood in the small village of Kochelayevo, Narovchatsky district, now located on the territory of the Republic of Mordovia. Sychkov showed his ability to paint in early childhood, but how could a simple peasant’s son count on learning the skill of an artist in the Drawing School, or even more so in the Higher Art School at the Academy of Arts? No, of course, this could only happen in a fairy tale. So, the talented boy painted icons, landscapes and portraits of fellow villagers. Fortunately, the fame of him went far beyond the icon-painting studio. In 1937 he became Honored Artist of the Mordovian ASSR, and in 1950 awarded the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR.
Fedot Vasilyevich Sychkov (1870-1958) – Russian (Soviet) artist, Honored Artist of the Mordovian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1937), Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1950), People’s Artist of the Mordovian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1955).
Read more »