Soviet Art

USSR Culture

Soviet sculptor-ceramist Natalya Danko 1892-1942

Soviet sculptor-ceramist Natalya Danko 1892-1942. Worker embroidering Soviet Red banner

Worker embroidering Soviet Red banner. Soviet sculptor-ceramist Natalya Danko (1892-1942)

Soviet sculptor-ceramist Natalya Danko (1892-1942) entered the history of Soviet propaganda porcelain as one of the most remarkable sculptors. For twenty-five years of creative work she has created more than three hundred figures and compositions. In particular, thematic sculptures, satirical, portrait and decorative, not counting options made in bronze, terracotta, wax and earthenware. Also, Natalia was one of the first Soviet sculptors to use porcelain in architecture. Noteworthy are 14 bas-reliefs on the theme “Dances of the Peoples of the USSR” for the metro station “Sverdlov Square”. In addition, under her leadership, a team of sculptors and artists of Leningrad porcelain factory performed porcelain bas-reliefs for the Khimki river station in Moscow (1937-1938).

In the workshop. Soviet sculptor-ceramist Natalya Danko (1892-1942)

In the workshop. Soviet sculptor-ceramist Natalya Danko (1892-1942)

Born in Tiflis into the family of railway employees – Yakov Afanasievich and Olga Iosifovna Danko, Natalya spent her childhood in Moscow. Aged eight she entered the Stroganov Art College in Moscow (1900-1902). Then she studied in various private studios, including workshops of Yalmar Jaanson in Vilna (1906 to 1908). Then, she moved to St. Petersburg to study in the workshops of L. V. Sherwood and V. V. Kuznetsov (1908-1909). In 1909-1914 she worked mainly in St. Petersburg, engaging in sculptural decoration with architects VA Shchuko, IA Fomin and others. In 1911 she performed sculptural decor at exhibitions in Rome and Turin. Since 1914, together with V. Kuznetsov, she worked in the sculpture workshop of the Imperial Porcelain Factory in Petrograd. And already in 1919 she became the head of the sculptural department of the plant.

In total, Natalia Danko has created more than 300 sculptural works. The most famous of them are the Red Army soldier, the Worker embroidering the banner, The Sailor (1919), The Militia woman (1920), The Loaders, The Fortune-Teller, The Famine, The Chess (1922), “Worker”, “Woman with a sheaf” and others. Natalia also created such portrait figures as Nijinsky, Fedorova II, Anna Akhmatova, and Meyerhold (1935). Interestingly, many early works were painted by Natalia’s sister – Elena Danko – a Russian writer, poetess and artist.

During the Great Patriotic War, Natalya Danko was in besieged Leningrad. In late February 1942, together with her sister and mother evacuated to the city of Irbit. Unfortunately, on the way because of the consequences of exhaustion, the sister and mother died. Natalia Danko herself died on March 18, 1942, shortly after arriving in Irbit.

Discussion of the Stalin Constitution in Uzbekistan collective farm. 1937

Discussion of the Stalin Constitution in Uzbekistan collective farm. 1937

The composition “Discussion of the draft of the Stalin Constitution on the collective farm of Uzbekistan” includes 6 items: the central part – the inkwell “Universal and Equal Suffrage”, the ashtray “The right to rest”, the pencil holder “The right to rest”, the tray “The right to work”, the vase “The right to education”, and the lamp “Folk singers”. The ink device is devoted to the adoption of the Constitution of the USSR in 1936 (the Stalin Constitution). The draft constitution of the USSR was broadcast on the radio, published in all the newspapers of the country, as well as in separate brochures in 100 languages ​​of the peoples of the USSR with a circulation of over 70 million copies.

Soviet sculptor-ceramist Natalya Danko

Ukrainian woman

Ukrainian woman

Uzbek

Uzbek

Woman in Georgian national costume

Woman in Georgian national costume

Armenian

Armenian

Azerbaijani

Azerbaijani

Belarus

Belarus

Caucasian dance

Caucasian dance

Estonian

Estonian

Georgian

Georgian

Kazakh

Kazakh

Latvian woman

Latvian

Moldavanian

Moldavian

Russian man

Russian man

Russian

Russian

A sailor with a banner. 1921

Agitation pencil holder from the ink device 'Discussion of the draft of the Stalin Constitution on the collective farm of Uzbekistan', Leningrad porcelain factory 1930s

Agitation pencil holder from the ink device ‘Discussion of the draft of the Stalin Constitution on the collective farm of Uzbekistan’, Leningrad porcelain factory 1930s

An inkwell with a bust of Lenin. 1924

An inkwell with a bust of Lenin. 1924

Anna Akhmatova

Anna Akhmatova

Carmen, or Spanish dace

Carmen, or Spanish dace

Chess players

Chess players

Chess set Red and white soldiers. Petrograd-Leningrad porcelain factory, 1925

Chess set Red and white soldiers. Petrograd-Leningrad porcelain factory, 1925

Cotton picking

Cotton picking

Detail, Red and White Army. Soviet porcelain chess

Detail, Red and White Army. Soviet porcelain chess

Dying swan. 1930s

Dying swan. 1930s

Expedition of Papanin. 1938

Expedition of Papanin. 1938

Five years of Red Army

Five years of Red Army

Footballer

Footballer

Fortune teller, 1922

Fortune teller, 1922

Gathering vegetables. 1935

Gathering vegetables. 1935

Girl with apples

Girl with apples

Guarding the collective farm field, 1938

Guarding the collective farm field, 1938

Horse patrol, 1937

Horse patrol, 1937

ID Papanin with his dog Veselyi. 1938

ID Papanin with his dog Veselyi. 1938

Inkwell from a desk device 'Discussion of the Stalin Constitution in Uzbekistan'. 1936

Inkwell from a desk device ‘Discussion of the Stalin Constitution in Uzbekistan’. 1936

Laundress, 1931

Laundress, 1931

Merchant wife

Merchant wife

National folk dance

National folk dance

Paratroopers

Paratroopers

Pioneer with a drum. 1924

Pioneer with a drum. 1924

Ready for work and defense

Ready for work and defense

Reaper. 1920s. State museum of ceramics

Reaper. 1920s. State museum of ceramics

Red and White Army. Soviet porcelain chess detail

Red and White Army. Soviet porcelain chess detail

Partisan, Red Army man in the campaign. 1919

Partisan, Red Army man in the campaign. 1919

Sailor

Sailor

Slavic woman, Tea cup

Slavic woman, Tea cup

Soviet sculptor-ceramist Natalya Danko (1892-1942)

Soviet sculptor-ceramist Natalya Danko (1892-1942)

Speech, 1937

Speech, 1937

Studying, ink set. 1933

Studying, ink set. 1933

Tea cup. Leningrad porcelain factory

Tea cup. Leningrad porcelain factory

The inkwell Pushkin at work. 1936

The inkwell Pushkin at work. 1936

The policeman. 1920

The policeman. 1920

Ukrainian woman with tomatoes. From the series 'Harvest'

Ukrainian woman with tomatoes. From the series ‘Harvest’

Uzbek reading newspaper. USSR. 1937

Uzbek reading newspaper. USSR. 1937

Clock case. Uzbek woman. 1937

Clock case. Uzbek woman. 1937

Volleyball player, or a girl with a ball. 1935

Volleyball player, or a girl with a ball. 1935

Worker embroidering Soviet Red banner

Worker embroidering Soviet Red banner

sources:
Soviet Art Gallery public group vk.com/club75441027
Danko. Yuliya Ebin, 1955 Publisher: Art, series Art