Soviet Art

Portrait of actress Lyudmila Chursina. 1980. Painting by Soviet artist Viktor Mikhailovich Oreshnikov (20 January 1904 – 15 March 1987)

Soviet artist Viktor Mikhailovich Oreshnikov
Born 20 January 1904 in Perm, Oreshnikov – Soviet painter, teacher, and master of portrait. Candidate of Art History (1937), Corresponding member of the Academy of Arts of the USSR (1947) and Doctor of Art History (1948). Besides, he was the winner of the Stalin Prize of the third degree (1948) for the painting “VI Lenin at the exam at the Petersburg University” (1947). In addition, the winner of the Stalin Prize of the third degree (1950) for the painting “At the headquarters of the defense of Petrograd” (1949). Academician of the Academy of Arts of the USSR (1954) and People’s Artist of the USSR (1969).
First, Oreshnikov received an art education in the Perm Art College (1924). Next, in 1927 he graduated from the Leningrad Higher Art and Technical Institute, and Academy of Arts (1933-1936). Noteworthy, his teachers were prominent Soviet masters Konstantin Petrov-Vodkin and I. I. Brodsky.
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Go and save my trail. 1987. Wood, gesso, gilding, painting, State Tretyakov Gallery. Soviet sculptor Adelaida Germanovna Pologova (1923-2008)

Soviet sculptor Adelaida Germanovna Pologova

Laureate of the USSR State Prize (1989), Adelaida Pologova belonged to a pleiad of sculptors of the 1960s, who ignored the traditional canons, giving an original view of the world. Her work – the creativity of a free and extremely original thinking sculptor. The peak of Adelaide Pologova’s creativity was in the 1980s, when she created, according to Soviet artist Dmitry Zhilinsky, “the finest sculpture of our time” – “Go and save my trail”. This is a masterpiece of the sculptor, which later gave the title of one of her posthumous exhibitions.
Her professional education A.G.Pologova began in 1942 in her native city of Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg). She grew up in a creative family where her father worked as an artist-decorator at the State Opera Theater named after A.V. Lunacharsky (1923-1925). The echo of the very early children’s theatrical impressions will later appear in the structure of many works by Pologova.
Having graduated from the faculty of painting of the local art school in 1948, she entered the Moscow Institute of Applied and Decorative Art (MIPiDI). In 1952 Pologova entered the Leningrad Higher School of Art and Industry named after V.I. Mukhina (LVHPU). She graduated from the institute in 1955 on the specialty of “architectural and decorative sculpture”. Born the same year her son Alyosha became a hero of her works for life.

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Collective farmers welcome tankmen during maneuvers. 1937. Soviet artist Ekaterina Sergeevna Zernova (19 April 1900-1995)

Soviet artist Ekaterina Sergeevna Zernova
Born 19 April 1900, Ekaterina Sergeevna Zernova (Simferopol) – Member of the Moscow Union of Soviet Artists (1932), book illustrator, poster and monumental artist. Daughter of the curator of the Natural History Museum of the Tavrichesky provincial zemstvo. When she was 14 years old, the family moved to Moscow. There she studied in private studio of F.Rerberg (1915-1918). Later, she studied at the State Free Art Studios – Vhutemas (1919-1924). First, it was the workshop of I. Mashkov, and then A. Shevchenko and D. Shterenberg. Meanwhile, alongside with artistic education she studied at the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of Moscow University (1917-1924).
She joined the artistic group OST and in 1925 presented her works at the first exhibition. In the late 1920’s, within the framework of this society she conducted active public work. In particular, she decorated clubs, created wall newspapers, and cartoons. Also, illustrated several books, including children’s books, for the publishing houses “Mediator”, and “Gosizdat”. Engaged in a poster, she led agitation work to combat illiteracy, and even designed the “Poster alphabet.”
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Favorite women of Soviet director Leonid Gaidai

Favorite women of Soviet director Leonid Gaidai

In the life of the great comedian Leonid Gaidai there were only three main women: mother, wife and daughter. However, in the cinematic life, there were more – about a hundred. These are the actresses who played in the films of Leonid Iovich. Unfortunately, today, almost no one remembers most of them, and this is unfair. Without them, without their talented play, there would not be a wonderful director Leonid Gaidai and his kind comedies that millions of people know and love. And although their characters are sometimes naive, awkward, or silly, we admire and enjoy their faultless game. Thanks to the wonderful charisma of these masters of comedy genre, we want to review these masterpieces again and again. Rina Zelenaya, Nina Grebeshkova, Natalia Selezneva, Svetlana Svetlichnaya, Natalya Varley, Nonna Mordyukova and many others – Favorite women of Soviet director Leonid Gaidai.
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It was in Donbass. 1945. Soviet Russian actress Vera Altaiskaya (May 21, 1919 – December 28, 1978)

Soviet Russian actress Vera Altaiskaya

Born on May 21, 1919 in Petrograd, Vera Altaiskaya was a popular Soviet theater and film actress. After finishing secondary school in the second half of the 1930’s, she then moved to Moscow, where she entered the acting school at the Mosfilm studios. Having graduated in 1940, she was admitted to the Theater-Studio of the actor. Altaiskaya began her acting career in 1938, playing an episodic role in the film “The Great Account.” And she performed her first prominent role in G. Alexandrov’s film “The Bright Way” (1940, weaver Klava).
Then there was another notable role – in “Mashen’ka” (1942), where the Altaiskaya played Vera, the girlfriend of the main heroine of the film. After that, the roles followed one after another: Lermontov (1943), “Big Land” (1944), and “It was in Donbass” (1945).
Noteworthy, in her youth Altaiskaya was a very interesting girl with a charming face and a chiseled figure. And soon she married the handsome actor Alexei Konsovsky (he played prince in Cinderella), having given birth to their daughter. However, with age, the former beauty left the actress, which changed her roles as an actress. In particular, she began to play mostly the roles of negative and even evil characters. For example, in the film “Bridegroom from the Other World” directed by Leonid Gaidai. However, these very negative roles of witches brought her real fame. Indeed, the real upsurge in the popularity of Altaiskaya happened in the 1960s, when she became a real talisman of the great storyteller, director Alexander Rou.
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Born January 12, 1948 in Tallinn, the USSR, Soviet Russian film actress Natalia Saiko

Soviet Russian film actress Natalia Saiko
Born January 12, 1948 Natalia Petrovna Saiko – Soviet and Russian actress of theater and cinema, Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1989). Young Natasha dreamed of becoming a teacher, a circus gymnast, a ballerina, and a doctor. But all has changed after her tourist trip to Leningrad. Having visited one of the performances of the Bolshoi Drama Theater, she made a firm decision to become an actress.
Fortunately, she succeeded in realizing the dream immediately after finishing school. Natalia entered the Theater School of Shchukin in Moscow, and already in her sophomore year she made her debut in cinema. It was the role of Zinka, the daughter of the district militiaman Aniskin, in Ivan Lukinsky’s film The Village Detective (1969). As critics say, with this role Natalia Saiko literally “burst” into the cinematography, so impetuous, resolute was her heroine. In addition, her partners in the film were famous Soviet actors – Tatiana Peltzer and Mikhail Zharov.
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Meeting the heroic crew. 1936. Soviet artist Pyotr Tarasovich Maltsev (17 December 1907 – 5 October 1993)

Soviet artist Pyotr Tarasovich Maltsev

Born 17 December 1907 in Mariupol of Ekaterinoslav province, Pyotr Tarasovich Maltsev was a many awarded Soviet artist working in the genre of socialist realism. A member of the USSR Union of Artists (1932), Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1958) and People’s Artist of the RSFSR (1968).
Pyotr Maltsev graduated from the Zaporozhie Art School (1921-1924), workshop of V.N. Nevsky. After that, studied at the monumental department of the fine art faculty of VKhUTEIN (1924-1930). His teachers were famous Soviet artists P.V. Kuznetsov, V.A. Favorsky, L.A. Bruni, and N.M. Chernyshev. While still a student, Maltsev began participating in the exhibitions of Soviet art (1928).
During the Great Patriotic War Maltsev served as an artist of the cultural enlightenment department of the Northern Fleet. Awarded with the Order of the Red Star and medals. In 1949 he joined the Studio of Military Artists of M.B.Grekov. Awarded with the first degree diploma and the gold medal of the USSR Academy of Arts (1960) for creating the diorama “Sturm of Sapun-mountain” (1959). Also, he received the gold medal of M.B.Grekov (1968) for participation in the reconstruction of the panorama of F.Rubo “The Battle of Borodino” (1967).
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