Soviet Art

Standing next to his painting, Soviet Tatar artist Haris Yakupov (1919-2010)

Soviet Tatar artist Haris Yakupov
The author of historical and genre paintings, portraits, and landscapes, he was an academician of the Russian Academy of Arts (1997, Corresponding Member (1973). Besides, People’s Artist of the USSR (1980), and deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (1971-1974). In addition, he was the winner of the third degree of the Stalin Prize (1951) and RSFSR State Prize of Repin (1976). Born December 23, 1919 in Kazan, Haris Abdrahmanovich Yakupov began to draw in an early age. According to the artist, he he copied his favorite pictures from magazines and books. Then, he sold his paintings at a local market, helping his large family. Once in the street, he saw an artist at the easel, and realized that this is his calling. The talented boy easily passed the exams and entered the Kazan Art School.
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Moscow suburbs youth. 1926. Oil on canvas. Soviet artist Konstantin Yuon (1875-1958)

Soviet artist Konstantin Yuon (12 October 1875 – 11 April 1958) was a master of landscapes, portraits, and genre paintings. In addition, he was a theater artist, set designer, and theorist of art. Konstantin Yuon – representative of Symbolism and Art Nouveau, organically continuing traditions in the Soviet era. After the revolution, Yuon was one of the founders of the school of fine arts at the Moscow office of public education.
In 1920 he won first prize for the project of the curtain for the Bolshoi Theater. And a year later he became a full member of the Russian Academy of Artistic Sciences. In addition, he was a member of the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia (1925). For a short period, in 1938-1939 he headed the personal studio of the Russian Academy of Arts in Leningrad. In 1940, made the sketch of the mosaic design of the Palace of Soviets. In 1943 he received the Stalin Prize, and in 1947 became a member of the USSR Academy of Arts.
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USSR 1980 Summer Olympics

USSR 1980 Summer Olympics has become history. But born in the Soviet Union people will long keep the memories of a beautiful celebration of youth and sports. One of the many foreign guests of the Olympics said: “What we saw in Moscow during the opening and closing of the Olympic Games, to repeat – may be possible, but to exceed – Never!” The most grandiose in its beauty and scale Olympic Games in the history of the Olympic movement – this is the unanimous opinion of the participants of the Moscow Olympics, its guests. It is difficult even to imagine how many people gave their talent, energy, inspiration to Olympic, to turn it into an unforgettable spectacle. Much credit for this belongs to the artists.
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Unique Soviet artist Nadya Rusheva (January 31, 1952, Ulan Bator – March 6, 1969, Moscow, USSR)

Soviet artist Nadya Rusheva had only 17 years to live, but left a huge artistic heritage – about 12,000 drawings. In fact, their exact number is impossible to calculate, because of many reasons. For example, a significant proportion – sent in the letters. Besides, she gave hundreds of illustrations to friends and acquaintances. Unfortunately, a considerable number of works for various reasons did not come back from the first exhibitions. Many of her paintings are in the museum of Leo Tolstoy in Moscow, and in the museum-branch named after Nadya Rusheva in the city of Kyzyl. Also, in the Pushkin House of St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, the National Culture Fund, the Municipal Museum in Sarov, and the Pushkin Museum in Moscow.
Among Nadya’s sketches were, for example, a series of drawings devoted to the ballet “Anna Karenina”. By the way, this ballet appeared on stage after the artist’s death, and a major role in it danced Maya Plisetskaya.
Noteworthy, she created her drawings without corrections, and she never used an eraser. “I see them in advance … they show through on the paper, as a watermark, and I have to repeat them in ink” – said Nadya.
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Mysterious Soviet German artist Hans Preuss (1904 Germany – 1984 USSR). Self-portrait. Paper, oil. 1939. Kemerovo Art Gallery

The Kemerovo Art Gallery stores paintings of Mysterious Soviet German artist Hans Preuss, a man of strange and mysterious fate. He was born on 1 September 1904 in Königsberg, Germany (now Kaliningrad, Russia). Hans studied at the Königsberg Academy of Visual Arts in 1920-1923. His teachers were Professor R. Pfeiffer and A. Degner. While studying in the Academy, he participated in numerous group exhibitions and training courses in Berlin, Dresden, Nuremberg, Munich. In 1933 Hans Preuss emigrated from Germany and visited Austria, France, Switzerland, Poland, Sweden, Finland, and finally – the USSR. Here, he got the Soviet citizenship in 1939. The World War II began. In 1942 he was evacuated to the western Siberia – the city of Novosibirsk, later moved to Tomsk (1943–1956). In 1946 he became the member of the Union of artists of the USSR. Since 1956 he lived and worked in Kemerovo. With his paintings he traveled all over Siberia – Tomsk, Omsk, Irkutsk, Barnaul. Once, in 1964 he visited his native Germany with the exhibition of his paintings in Berlin, but returned back to Siberia. Hans Preuss died at the age of 80, 2 February 1984, in the Siberian city of Kemerovo. German by nationality, communist by belief, he lived all his life in Siberia, and was the Soviet citizen.
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April smog, 1992. Soviet artist Pyotr Fomin

Art must be profoundly national, for only in this way it becomes international. Soviet artist Pyotr Fomin. The art lovers know Pyotr Fomin primarily as a poet of Russian nature, the singer of the Northern Territory. It is said that the artist is often similar to his works. With regard to the work of Fomin this statement is true. The simplicity and openness, kindness and naturalness are the features of his art and nature. These qualities Professor Fomin, rector of the oldest artistic institution of the Soviet Union – the Repin Leningrad Institute educated his students. Peter Timofeyevich Fomin (1919-1996) – Russian Soviet painter and teacher, People’s Artist of the USSR (1991), Member of the St. Petersburg Union of Artists (before 1992 – the Leningrad branch of the Union of Artists of the RSFSR). Participant of Great Patriotic War, Pyotr Fomin was awarded Order of the Patriotic War II degree (1985), medal “For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”, medal “For the Defense of Leningrad”.
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Soviet singer Muslim Magomayev and Tamara Sinyavskaya

Soviet singer Muslim Magomayev

This is a scanned image of an authentic autographed photo of Muslim Magomayev and Tamara Sinyavskaya, from home archive of my parents. Muslim Magomayev was the idol of the whole generation of 1960-1980-ies, and was loved no less than Gagarin. First prize of the Bulgarian festival in Sopot, “gold plate” in Cannes, the Red Banner of Labor in his 29, and the title of People’s Artist of the USSR – in 31. Infinite love of the Soviet Union – from Kaliningrad to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, and from workers to the General Secretary of CPSU. Indeed, the whole country was in love with him, and at first sight. Nineteen year-old tall, slender, long-legged with a lively, bright, passionate, southern eyes, Muslim instantly fascinated, as soon as he stepped on the stage. And when he started to sing – he won the hearts of millions.
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