Soviet Art

Ivan (Jovanni) Alexeyevich Vepkhvadze (1949-2016). Dispute. Abastumani Observatory. 1979. Paintings by Soviet Georgian artists

Paintings by Soviet Georgian artists
This publication features various Georgian artists, members of the Union of Artists of the USSR, who created their paintings for the glory of Soviet art and the people of the once united state – the USSR. And the first in this gallery – Ivan Vepkhvadze (1949-2016).
Born 13 March 1949 in Tbilisi, Ivan (Jovanni) Alexeyevich Vepkhvadze was the son of a prominent Soviet Georgian artist Alexei Ivanovich Vepkhvadze. He studied at the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts at the Faculty of Painting (1967-1973). In 1973, he entered the Creative Workshop of Painting at the Academy of Arts of the USSR, from which he graduated in 1977. Immediately after graduation, he took an active part in both republican and all-Union and international exhibitions of Soviet Art. Member of the Union of Artists of the USSR (1977), he taught at the Tbilisi Art College of Ya.Nikoladze (1981-2007). Noteworthy, Ivan Alexeyevich Vepkhvadze belongs to the family of artists of the third generation. And now, his son, Bruno Vepkhvadze (b. 1986) ciontinues the tradition of his fathers.
Soviet Georgian artist Ivan (Jovanni) Alexeyevich Vepkhvadze died on May 3, 2016 (Tbilisi, Georgia). His works are in many museums and private collections in Georgia, Russia, Germany, USA, England, Armenia, France, Japan, Italy, Greece, Turkey, India, and China.
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One of the most beautiful actresses of the USSR, Soviet Lithuanian actress Eugenia Pleshkite (6 January 1938 – 3 November 2012)

Soviet Lithuanian actress Eugenia Pleshkite
Born in an ordinary peasant family in 1938, Eugenia Pleshkite – was one of the most beautiful women with whom the entire Soviet Union was in love. Today the name of this actress is familiar only to lovers of Soviet cinema and true fans of her talent and beauty. But the one who once saw her on the screen, could not forget this magnificent blonde beauty with a royal look, proud posture, and impeccable aristocratic gestures. Her exquisite Baltic accent and bottomless depth of blue eyes, in which every man in the USSR dreamed to drown.
Since childhood, the girl dreamed of a scene, and fate gave her this chance: in 1956, Eugenia, who sang beautifully and danced, entered the acting department of the State Conservatory of the Lithuanian SSR.
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‘Klassiki’ (popular in the USSR outdoor game for girls, known in English as Hopscotch). 1958. Paper, pencil, pastel. Drawing by Soviet Georgian graphic artist Dmitry Eristavi

Soviet Georgian graphic artist Dmitry Eristavi – Member of the USSR Union of Artists, Honored Artist of the Georgian SSR. Laureate of the Lenin Komsomol Prize of the Georgian SSR and People’s Artist of the Georgian SSR (1985). Born in 1931 in Tbilisi, he graduated from the Tbilisi Academy of Arts (1956). His teachers were Soviet artists L. Grigolia, I. Charlemagne, S. Kobuladze, D.A. Gabashvili and others. Master of easel and book graphics, poster artist, Eristavi worked also in the cinema as a set designer, and scriptwriter.
Eristavi works mainly in easel graphics. He constantly takes part in republican, all-Union and foreign exhibitions. Meanwhile, the first personal exhibition of Dmitry Eristavi in ​​Tbilisi in 1967 brought success to the artist. Thus, the same year he received the title of Honored Artist of the Georgian SSR and laureate of the Komsomol Prize of Georgia.
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Melody. 1990. Painting by Soviet Tatar artist Rifkat Mukhamedovich Vakhitov

Soviet Tatar artist Rifkat Mukhamedovich Vakhitov
Born February 26, 1938 in Izhevsk, Rifkat grew up in a typical Tatar family, where they instilled love for their national traditions. In 1965 he graduated from the Kharkov Art Institute. Aftar graduating from the institute he became a permanent participant of exhibitions of Soviet Art. And already in 1972, he became the member of the USSR Union of artists.
Meanwhile, the artist traveled a lot. Thus, the result of his creative trips to Soviet Tashkent in the 1970s, to Turkey in the mid-1990s, became his colorful landscapes. However, after a visit to America in 2012, the artist did not create a single canvas. According to the artist, the East, and in particular, Tatarstan and its culture inspire him more.
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Before the long journey (Nadezhda Krupskaya and Vladimir Lenin). 1973. Painting by Soviet artist Sergei Yakovlevich Dunchev (October 24, 1916 – October 1, 2004)

Soviet artist Sergei Yakovlevich Dunchev

Born 24 October 1916 in Baku, Sergey Yakovlevich Dunchev studied at the fine art department of the Azerbaijan Art College(1934-1939), workshop of S.I. Kulikov. Veteran of two wars – with the White Finns and the Great Patriotic War, he defended Moscow. And as part of the 16th Army, fought in the Smolensk direction. In 1943, after graduating from the three-month courses of the commander of the Navy, he became the junior lieutenant and a commander of the infantry platoon. In battles during the liberation of Smolensk he received a severe wound. Aawarded the Order of the Red Star, the Patriotic War of the 1st degree, and medals “For the defense of Moscow”, and “For victory over Germany”. After recovery, he received a disability. Demobilized in late 1944.
Since 1944 he lived in Sergiev Posad.
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Painting by Mikhail Chepik (1872 – 1920). Flowers to Stalin. 1951. Oil on canvas. Thank you comrade Stalin for our happy childhood

Thank you comrade Stalin for our happy childhood
The history of this phrase dates back to July 6, 1936, when a delegation from the Buryat-Mongolian ASSR arrived in Moscow. The first secretary of the regional committee, Mikhei Yerbanov, headed it, along with the Minister of Agriculture Ardan Markizov with his wife (then a student of the Moscow Medical Institute). Also, with them was their daughter Gelya, who wanted to see the “leader of all nations”. So, at the meeting in Kremlin Gelya handed Stalin a bouquet of flowers with the words: “These flowers are from the children of Buryat-Mongolia.” The deeply touched Stalin took the girl in his arms and kissed her. This moment, captured by a lot of present photographers and newsreelists, became iconic. Besides, the photo, signed “Thanks to Comrade Stalin for our happy childhood!” appeared in all the newspapers of the USSR. The government and citizens liked the words so much that later they began to paint pictures from the legendary photo. Such an iconic image adorned children’s institutions, produced in posters and even in sculptural compositions.
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RSFSR in precious stones. Industry of Socialism precious mosaic map of USSR. Located in the Central Research Geological Prospecting Museum of Academician FN Chernyshev, St. Petersburg, Russia

Industry of Socialism precious mosaic map of USSR

This magnificent mosaic is a monumental monument of the imperial style of the times of the Soviet Union. Created in 1937 for a fantastic period of 5 months, the map and the arms of 11 union republics appeared at international exhibitions in Paris and New York. By creating a giant mosaic panel of gems, which would reflect all the victories of the Social Industry, the authorities decided to celebrate the Communist Party of the USSR on the 20th anniversary of October. In fact, this idea belonged to G. K. Ordzhonikidze, People’s Commissar of Heavy Industry of the USSR.
Laid out from thousands of precious and semiprecious stones, the map first shone in 1937 at the World Exhibition in Paris. It amazed the imagination of Europeans along with the gigantic monument of “Worker and Collective Farmer”.
In particular, the mountains on the map are from jasper, and next to them are lazurite seas and rivers, cities are solid rubies. All in full geographical accordance with the original.
However, tThe most expensive stones – emeralds – marked the objects of industry. Impressive is not only the art of artists who created a panel of gems, but also the cost of the work. In the 1940s, the map, taken to an exhibition in New York, was insured for $ 137 million. And it’s hard to imagine how many panels can cost today.
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