Socialist realism

The authorities noticed the influence of art on public opinion and decided to use this power for the benefit of the development of socialism — this is how a new creative method was born.

The creations of socialist realism

Realism (from late Latin reālis — “real”) is considered to be the beginning in the development of modern art. In a strict sense, “realism” is an art movement that faithfully and objectively reproduces reality in all its details, regardless of how beautiful are the objects in the picture. Read more

are simple to recognize. Their typical subjects are the factory workers at work, happy kolkhozniks against the backdrop of virgin lands, May Day marches, joyful pioneers, people on subbotniks, leaders meeting the population, and all that. Artists seemed to draw frames typical of Soviet films, they praised work — not for money, but for certificates and places on the honour boards. The paintings are realistic, they have no metaphors or abstractions. On the canvases, the colour scheme is light and pastel.
A classic example of socialist realism

Realism (from late Latin reālis — “real”) is considered to be the beginning in the development of modern art. In a strict sense, “realism” is an art movement that faithfully and objectively reproduces reality in all its details, regardless of how beautiful are the objects in the picture. Read more

is the Worker and Kolkhoz Woman monument, "the Soviet era ideal".

Objectives and methods

The authorities put the socialist realists the task of instilling in the population the belief that they live in the best country in the world, involving the people in building socialism, unconditionally believing in the Communists.
To justify the demands of the leaders, the artists painted an improved version of reality: happy pictures from the life of the average man, where there is no place for analysis and doubt. The state leaders were depicted exclusively in a positive light.

Socialist realist artists were kindly treated by the authorities: they received government prizes, awards, and rested in sanatoriums. In parallel, there was the so called informal underground art, which met the trends of world cultural development. For such work, you could be imprisoned.

You’re an expert, if:

… if you do not attribute all the work by Petrov-Vodkin to socialist realism

Realism (from late Latin reālis — “real”) is considered to be the beginning in the development of modern art. In a strict sense, “realism” is an art movement that faithfully and objectively reproduces reality in all its details, regardless of how beautiful are the objects in the picture. Read more

without any exception — it contained metaphors, and sometimes even hidden ridicule of the Soviet ideals.

You’re a layman, if:

… if you think that socialist realism

Realism (from late Latin reālis — “real”) is considered to be the beginning in the development of modern art. In a strict sense, “realism” is an art movement that faithfully and objectively reproduces reality in all its details, regardless of how beautiful are the objects in the picture. Read more

is a subgenre of the realism

Realism (from late Latin reālis — “real”) is considered to be the beginning in the development of modern art. In a strict sense, “realism” is an art movement that faithfully and objectively reproduces reality in all its details, regardless of how beautiful are the objects in the picture. Read more

that Caravaggio introduced to the world practice. The critic Andrei Sinyavsky concluded that this method was actually a Soviet version of classicism and romanticism

Romanticism replaced the austere Classicism in painting and brought something new with it: emotions, excitement, colours, and distinct expressiveness. Quite often the style of Romanticism is confused with "romantic" images in painting and pastoral scenes. Still, it was a person with all the emotions and a rich inner world which was in the focus of attention of creators of all genres of the late 18th – early 19th centuries – from music to painting. Read more

.

Famous social realism

Realism (from late Latin reālis — “real”) is considered to be the beginning in the development of modern art. In a strict sense, “realism” is an art movement that faithfully and objectively reproduces reality in all its details, regardless of how beautiful are the objects in the picture. Read more

artists:

In painting: Evgenia Antipova, Isaak Brodsky, Boris Vladimirsky, Alexandr and Sergey Germasimovs, Gavriil Gorelov, Nikolai Timkov.
In sculpture: Vera Mukhina, Nikolai Tomsky, Yevgeny Vuchetich

Fine kettle of fish!

In order to show that socialist realism

Realism (from late Latin reālis — “real”) is considered to be the beginning in the development of modern art. In a strict sense, “realism” is an art movement that faithfully and objectively reproduces reality in all its details, regardless of how beautiful are the objects in the picture. Read more

did not disappear along with the USSR, in 2009 Russian artists organized an exhibition of North Korean socialist realism

Realism (from late Latin reālis — “real”) is considered to be the beginning in the development of modern art. In a strict sense, “realism” is an art movement that faithfully and objectively reproduces reality in all its details, regardless of how beautiful are the objects in the picture. Read more

in Moscow. The event was shocking: aside from the Asian appearance of the characters, you might think that the canvases depict the life of Russia in the Stalin era. However, in North Korea, such things and phenomena are happening now, in our time.

Today in the world, there are several specialized galleries of socialist realism — in particular, the Museum of Socialist Art in Sofia, Bulgaria. The curators say: it is easier to learn the history of the no longer existing country from such canvases, than from books.

The delicate balance

Socialist realism

Realism (from late Latin reālis — “real”) is considered to be the beginning in the development of modern art. In a strict sense, “realism” is an art movement that faithfully and objectively reproduces reality in all its details, regardless of how beautiful are the objects in the picture. Read more

was surely a mirror of the era, and it perfectly reflected its positive aspects. Nevertheless, the artists were not always restricted in their freedom with a leg on their throat. For example, the well-known and respected socialist realism

Realism (from late Latin reālis — “real”) is considered to be the beginning in the development of modern art. In a strict sense, “realism” is an art movement that faithfully and objectively reproduces reality in all its details, regardless of how beautiful are the objects in the picture. Read more

artist Deineka painted nudes, and he made beautiful
paintings, which met the canons of the time.