Soviet Art

Soviet Set Designer Boris Knoblok, 1950s

Soviet Set Designer Boris Knoblok (April 19, 1903, Moscow – February 4, 1984, Moscow) – Honored Artist of the RSFSR, the winner of the Stalin and the State Prize of the Tatar ASSR. Boris Georgievich Knoblok belonged to a generation of artists who came to the theater decorative art from painting, architecture, graphic. They mastered a new profession, putting their first performances. Many could not withstand the theater test. Knoblok survived, stayed there forever. He perfectly mastered the traditional space of the stage, drama and music, willingly designed there the performances of contrasting genres. But if within the “scene – the box” was not enough for him, and he was constantly looking for the application of his abilities in the circus, cinema and sports.
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Moscow during 6th World Festival of Youth in USSR

VI World Festival of Youth and Students – Youth International festival, which opened July 28, 1957 in Moscow. The guests of the festival were 34,000 people from 131 countries. The slogan of the festival – “For Peace and Friendship”. The head artist of the VI World Festival of Youth and Students in 1957 was Boris Knoblok. One can marvel at the scale of thinking of the artist, his inexhaustible imagination, together with the experience of the joy of collective creativity, the foresight with which he and the organizers of the festival went to meet the people’s initiative, turning the aesthetic factor in the warm hospitality of Muscovites. The symbol of the Youth Forum, which was attended by delegates of leftist youth organizations in the world, became a dove of peace, devised by Pablo Picasso.
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Plate ‘Cubist Hammer’. 1919. PV Kuznetsov. Soviet propaganda porcelain

The early USSR period Soviet propaganda porcelain, has become a business card of our country, the same as the jeweler’s art of Faberge, icons, or avant-garde painting. Indeed, nowadays, products from porcelain cost much and sold at the famous auction houses. Meanwhile, vases, plates, cups, dishes and porcelain statuettes were in many Soviet families. But now, the best pieces of the USSR porcelain, and in particular, early Soviet Soviet era, so-called propaganda porcelain is rarity, worth of best museums. In addition, due to the unavailability of items and a sense of historical belonging, and of course, nostalgia for the recent past, such porcelain is now highly collectible.
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USSR Female Aviation Regiment Night Witches – a bomber regiment of the USSR troops, consisting only of women

USSR Female Aviation Regiment “Night Witches” – a bomber regiment of the USSR troops, consisting exceptionally of women. The Regiment was an unusual phenomenon in the Air Forces of the USSR. During the years of the World War II, or the Great Patriotic War, its pilots made many sorties, covering the flag of the regiment with military unfading glory. Brave women of the 46th Guards Taman Red Banner Order of Suvorov of third degree Night Bomber Aviation Regiment flew in tiny fighters in the remote areas to fight the Germans at night. They were armed and trained better than the German Air Force. During the fighting pilots of regiment made 23,672 sorties, many of which helped win important battles, both in Russia, and later, and in Germany. Women were so good and subtle, that German soldiers gave them the nickname «Nachthexen», or “Night Witches.” Their tactic was to fly up to the goal at a certain distance, and then turn off the engine to reduce the noise emitted by aircraft. They gradually reduced height and dropped bombs on the enemy, before anyone had time to notice them.
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July 1, 1936 Physical Culture Parades in USSR

Physical Culture Parades in USSR
“Streets – our brushes, squares – our palettes” – these words by Vladimir Mayakovsky come to mind when you look at archival photos of Physical Culture Parades in USSR. In 1919, the Red Square in Moscow hosted the first parade of athletes and teams of Vsevobuch (system of compulsory military training). The most grandiose parades were held in the capital of the Soviet Union – Moscow. Parades were also held in several other cities of the USSR. In particular, in 1927 in Barnaul the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the October Revolution, with the parade of athletes. Since 1931, the parades have been held annually, first in Moscow and Leningrad, and then in the other cities of the USSR. In 1935, at the parade of athletes in Moscow, Stalin was named “the best friend of the pioneers,” and in 1936 at the athletes parade in Moscow was first introduced the slogan “Thank you Comrade Stalin for our happy childhood!”.
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Part-time KGB agent, Soviet actress Larisa Kronberg Sobolevskaya

Soviet actress Larisa Kronberg
Recruited by the KGB, film actress Larisa Kronberg managed to charm and seduce the tempered in the political battles French diplomat Maurice Dejean. He was an ambassador to the Soviet Union in late 1955. Indeed, for the beautiful blue-eyed actress it was a matter of technique. Thus, during one of Maurice Dejean’s visits to Larisa, “a jealous husband” burst into the apartment of Larisa. So-called “husband”, in fact, was a part-time KGB agent. Furious “husband” attacked the diplomat with his fists and began to threaten with the court. To avoid a scandal, Dejean had to ask for help from Moscow acquaintances, who were happy to provide it – in exchange for cooperation with the Soviet intelligence services.
For participation in the operations of recruitment of the French Ambassador Maurice Dejean Soviet secret services awarded Kronberg with Swiss watches made of gold and diamonds. They say, having learned about this story, General de Gaulle, pushing aside the ambassador, only said, “Well, Maurice, instead of working all you did was f…..”.
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Robert Rozhdestvensky, Bella Akhmadulina, Andrei Voznesensky, Yevgeny Yevtushenko. Soviet Poets of Sixties

Soviet Poets of Sixties

Sixties – the subculture of the Soviet intelligentsia, mostly seized generation born roughly between 1925 and 1945. Historical context which formed the views of the “Sixties” were the years of Stalinism, World War II, the results of XX Congress of the CPSU and the era of the “thaw”. The most fortunate generation in the history of the country – Moscow and Leningrad dudes, the taste of life runaway success and aesthetic pleasure, collecting stadiums of listeners and viewers. They were able to impose their style of life on the country and the whole generation. Among them were Soviet poets of the Sixties – Robert Rozhdestvensky, Bella Akhmadulina, Andrei Voznesensky, Yevgeny Yevtushenko. Most of them were not revolutionaries, they were not going to destroy the communist regime. They could not even think that’s possible. The task was to humanize it.
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