Soviet Art

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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The Rhythm. Leningrad. 1957. Soviet photographer Anatoly Boldin

Soviet photographer Anatoly Boldin – Member of the Union of Photographers of Russia, honored worker of the Creative Union “Photo art”, an honorary member of the photo club “Novator”. Anatoly Boldin was at the forefront of the domestic club movement, Chairman of photo club “Novator” in 1970-1979 and 1981-1991, respectively. His works were published in the newspapers “Moskovskaya Pravda”, “Moskovsky Komsomolets”, «Soviet photo» magazines, photo-revue “Photography”. Anatoly Boldin – one of those who stood at the origins of the club movement of Soviet photography. Anatoly Boldin was born in July 29, 1937 in Moscow. In 1956 he entered the Moscow Higher Technical School named after Bauman (MHTS), Instrumentation Department. In 1958, in MHTS was founded Photo Club, the organizers of which were then known photographers B. Azarov and B. Telezhnikov. Anatoly Boldin became a member of the club and worked as a photojournalist in the student newspaper “Baumanets” before graduation.
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Soviet children painting Space. Natasha Ishaeva, 12 years old. In the Star World. Gouache. Moscow, USSR, 1986

Soviet children painting Space

These Space exploration inspired drawings were published in 1986 April issue of magazine “Young Artist” published in the USSR. It should be noted that since 1961, it has become such a good tradition to dedicate every April issue to the achievements of the Space exploration theme. Indeed, Yuri Gagarin’s flight inspired a generation of Soviet children. Many of the boys (and even girls, after the flight of Valentina Tereshkova) dreamed about space, to the question of who you want to be, the answer was simple – an astronaut. Research of the universe inspired young artists, the best drawings were published in a magazine just to Cosmonautics Day in the Soviet Union – on 12 April. Editors of the magazine “Young Artist” in conjunction with the Scientific Council of the USSR Academy of Sciences organized the contest “Space and children” for all lovers of fine art. The most striking works were sent for exhibition in Japan.
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Nikolai Karachentsov (Nikolai Rezanov) and Elena Shanina (Conchita). Soviet rock opera Juno and Avos, Moscow State Theatre named after Lenin’s Komsomol, 1981

The best films have been filmed in the Soviet Union, and it is a fact. For more than 3 decades of post Soviet Russia, no one has been able to create, for example a comedy, better than Leonid Gaidai. Made in USSR masterpieces of cinema and theater have become an unattainable standard. Among such masterpieces was the Soviet rock opera Juno and Avos by composer Alexei Rybnikov on poems of Andrei Voznesensky. Director – Mark Zakharov, dances staged by Vladimir Vasiliev, artist Oleg Sheyntsis. The premiere took place on July 9, 1981 at the Moscow State Theatre named after Lenin’s Komsomol (Lenkom Theatre). In the summer of 2010 was the two thousandth performance of “Juno and Avos” presented by Theatre “Rock Opera” in St. Petersburg. For more than thirty years the performance has had a resounding success with the audience.
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