Soviet Art

Gymnasts of the USSR. 1962. Tempera on wood. State Russian museum, St. Petersburg. Soviet artist Dmitry Zhilinsky (1927 – 2015)

Soviet artist Dmitry Zhilinsky (1927-2015) focused his creativity on the eternal values ​​of the universe, nature, culture, moral and spiritual foundations of personality. Author of numerous innovative scene paintings, portraits, in which successfully reinterpreted the tradition of ancient Russian icon painting and early Renaissance painting. Dmitry Zhilinsky was the Academician of the Academy of Arts of the USSR (1988), Corresponding Member (1978), People’s Artist of the RSFSR (1987), the winner of the RSFSR State Prize of Ilya Repin (1985) and the State Prize of Russia (1999), Member of the Union of Artists of the USSR since 1954.
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Building New Country Soviet Youth. KA Vyalov (1900-1976). Painting by Soviet artist KA Vyalov (1900-1976). “Magnitostroy”. 1948. Oil on canvas

The theme of Komsomol and Building New Country Soviet Youth have been widely presented in Soviet art. It was born back in the 1920s, at the time of formation of Soviet art, loudly sounded in the 1950s and became one of the leading. Revealing the nature of modernity, this topic as a reassuring leitmotif went through the labor theme, one of the most important in Soviet art – labor of Azerbaijani oil workers, the Uzbek cotton growers, the Baltic fishermen, Yakut hunters, Georgian metallurgists, Ukrainian grain farmers, and textile workers of Ivanovo. Youth Theme sounds pathetic in posters calling to the struggle for peace, and in the paintings devoted to the Soviet Army. Fresh lyrical notes to the theme brings genre painting, depicting the young contemporary – builder of a new society.
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We are different, but we are together. Nostalgia for the great country

Nostalgia for the great country – the USSR, which we lost 25 years ago.
Looking through the comments on one of the most popular social sites, I’ve noticed that the more time passes, the more nostalgic sentiment appears in people born in the USSR. This publication – a tribute to the great country that we have lost. It was 25 years ago, the whole generation was raised not knowing about the Soviet way of life. And we understand people who can compare life in a modern society with the life in the USSR. Surprisingly, nostalgia for the Soviet Union is felt even among young people, who have never lived in the Soviet Union. Their arguments in favor of the USSR are inherited from parents and based on many other factors. The Soviet Union was a more efficient country in respect of social welfare, equality, confidence in the future than in today’s Russia. In the USSR was worshiped internationalism, the friendship of the peoples. People were kinder, morality and culture were at a higher level. Soviet society – a family-like society. Man to man was a friend, comrade and brother. Crime was much lower, salary was stable, and no unemployment. The TV did not show any rubbish. The idea united all, regardless of gender, race, nationality, and social status. There wasn’t a huge gap between people financially. There were wonderful inspirational Soviet films unsurpassed until now. Of course, this gives rise to Nostalgia for the great country.
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Wedding in tomorrow street. 1962. Painting by Soviet artist Yuri Pimenov

Soviet artist Yuri Pimenov (1903 – 1977) was a stage designer, graphic artist, teacher, professor. Academician of the Academy of Arts of the USSR (1962), Corresponding Member (1954), People’s Artist of the USSR (1970), the winner of the Lenin Prize (1967) and two Stalin Prize of the second degree (1947, 1950). Yuri Pimenov was born in Moscow in a family of lawyers. He studied at the 10th Moscow gymnasium. In 1920-1925 he studied at Higher Artistic and Technical Workshops (VHUTEMAS), painting and graphic arts department. From 1923 he worked in magazines. After graduation in 1925, he became one of the founders of the Easel Artists Society.
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For Peace! 1954. Soviet artist Fyodor Reshetnikov. State Tretyakov Gallery

Soviet artist Fyodor Reshetnikov
In the Soviet art of the postwar period were relevant pictures on the theme of the struggle for peace and international solidarity of the working people, against imperialism and the threat of a new war, as well as the development of national liberation and the labor movement abroad. This theme, which could be called an international, first received intensive development in biased Russian art from the beginning of the Cold War. The first pictorial approaches to new themes have been associated with the creation of genre paintings, scenes of which were drawn from the Soviet newspaper reports about strikes and demonstrations abroad. An example of this approach is the famous painting of Fyodor Pavlovich Reshetnikov “For Peace!”, awarded the USSR State Prize in 1951. Reshetnikov clearly depicted street worker suburbs of Paris. Away – a demonstration under a red flag. Thus, the demonstration of ideologically correct, and no wonder it dispersed by police. In the foreground – a group of fearlessness children writing on the wall the magic word “Peace.”
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In service of mankind – Chemistry inspired USSR matchbox labels

Chemistry in service of mankind – Chemistry inspired USSR matchbox labels

In the USSR, Chemical industry has been widely developed, particularly in Russia and Ukraine. Produced: mineral fertilizers, crop protection chemicals (164 thousand tons in 1970), Sulfuric acid (12.1 million tonnes), soda (3.67 million tonnes) and caustic (1.94 million tons), soda, synthetic resin and plastics, chemical fibers and threads, tires (34.6 million units), and others. It is natural that with such development of the industry, it has received attention from the state – a professional holiday was established. An outstanding scientist, the founder of the periodic table of chemical elements Dmitri Mendeleev was the personification of the profession. Issued stamps dedicated to the scientist, published a series of matchbox labels, popularizing science and the chemical industry. The chemist Day – a professional holiday of the chemical and petrochemical industry workers, which dates back to Soviet times. Day of the chemist was established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from October 1, 1980 “On holidays and memorial days” and is celebrated annually on the last Sunday of May.
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Soviet artist Lidiya Brodskaya (1910, St. Petersburg – 1991 Leningrad). April. 1971. Oil

Soviet artist Lidiya Brodskaya (1910 -1991) is the author of paintings, lyrical landscapes, devoted to the nature of the Soviet Union – Urals, Siberia, Far East, Ukraine. Brodskaya – People’s Artist of the USSR (1980), Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Arts (1970), the winner of the RSFSR State Prize of IE Repin. In 1981 she was awarded the silver medal of the USSR Academy of Arts. In 1935-1939 studied in her father’s workshop in Leningrad Academy of Arts. Since 1939, studied in Moscow. She began participating in art exhibitions since 1944. Works of Brodskaya were exhibited in France (1948), Finland (1950), Poland (1951), India (1951), China (1954), Syria (1955). Solo exhibitions were held in Moscow in 1948, 1949, 1955. Her works are in the State Tretyakov Gallery, in the museums of Kiev, Lvov, Chelyabinsk, Astrakhan and other cities of the former USSR.
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