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Memory and Glory - Soviet Art of the Great Patriotic War

Alexander Morozov

Article: 
ON THE 65th ANNIVERSARY OF VICTORY DAY
Magazine issue: 
#1 2010 (26)

The experience of the Great Patriotic War found a crucial place in the heritage of Sovietera art. As a theme that continues to stir strong feelings in Russian society to this day, its existential conflux of tragedy and triumph on a personal level overlapped with official interest in the subject, considered a crucial one for cultivating patriotism and political stability in Soviet society. Accordingly, warthemed art combined deeply personal motivations with levels of opportunistic ambition, something that determines both its variety and quality.

Memory and Glory - Soviet Art of the Great Patriotic War (#26)

THE EXPERIENCE OF THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR FOUND A CRUCIAL PLACE IN THE HERITAGE OF SOVIET-ERA ART. AS A THEME THAT CONTINUES TO STIR STRONG FEELINGS IN RUSSIAN SOCIETY TO THIS DAY, ITS EXISTENTIAL CONFLUX OF TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH ON A PERSONAL LEVEL OVERLAPPED WITH OFFICIAL INTEREST IN THE SUBJECT, CONSIDERED A CRUCIAL ONE FOR CULTIVATING PATRIOTISM AND POLITICAL STABILITY IN SOVIET SOCIETY. ACCORDINGLY, WAR-THEMED ART COMBINED DEEPLY PERSONAL MOTIVATIONS WITH LEVELS OF OPPORTUNISTIC AMBITION, SOMETHING THAT DETERMINES BOTH ITS VARIETY AND QUALITY.

On the 70th Anniversary of the Great Victory

Article: 
EVENTS
Magazine issue: 
#2 2015 (47)

THE GLORIOUS VICTORY OF THE SOVIET PEOPLE IN THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR (1941-1945) CROWNS THE TRAGIC AND HEROIC EPIC OF WORLD WAR II, THE BLOODIEST CONFLICT IN HUMAN HISTORY. THIS VICTORY BECAME AN EVERLASTING SYMBOL OF THE STRUGGLE AGAINST FASCISM, WHICH UNITED PEOPLES OF DIFFERENT RELIGIONS, RACES AND NATIONS, CHAMPIONS OF EVERY POLITICAL AND IDEOLOGICAL SYSTEM, FROM EUROPE AND ASIA TO NORTH AMERICA AND AFRICA. CELEBRATING THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREAT VICTORY, WE RECALL THE MOST MEMORABLE EVENTS OF THE DRAMATIC AND GLORIOUS HISTORY OF OUR HOMELAND, THE EXPLOITS OF OUR ANCESTORS FROM THE TIMES OF ALEXANDER NEVSKY AND DMITRY DONSKOY, PRINCE DMITRY POZHARSKY AND KUZMA MININ, ALEXANDER SUVOROV AND MIKHAIL KUTUZOV, FYODOR USHAKOV AND PAVEL NAKHIMOV, MIKHAIL SKOBELEV AND ALEXEI BRUSILOV... THEIR FEATS REFLECT THE HISTORY OF OUR NATION'S SPIRIT - A HISTORY IN WHICH NOTHING IS LOST, NOTHING VANISHES WITHOUT TRACE, BUT WHERE EVERYTHING IS PASSED DOWN FROM ONE GENERATION TO ANOTHER AS A CONSTANT ETHICAL REMINDER OF FAITH AND COURAGE, PATRIOTIC LOVE AND SACRIFICE FOR SAKE OF THE FUTURE.

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THE GLORIOUS VICTORY OF THE SOVIET PEOPLE IN THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR (1941-1945) CROWNS THE TRAGIC AND HEROIC EPIC OF WORLD WAR II, THE BLOODIEST CONFLICT IN HUMAN HISTORY. THIS VICTORY BECAME AN EVERLASTING SYMBOL OF THE STRUGGLE AGAINST FASCISM, WHICH UNITED PEOPLES OF DIFFERENT RELIGIONS, RACES AND NATIONS, CHAMPIONS OF EVERY POLITICAL AND IDEOLOGICAL SYSTEM, FROM EUROPE AND ASIA TO NORTH AMERICA AND AFRICA.

The Nude in Russian Art in the 20th Century

Nadezhda Yurasovskaya

Article: 
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
Magazine issue: 
#1 2015 (46)

RUSSIAN ART HAS OFTEN BEEN CONTRADICTORY IN ITS DEPICTION OF NUDES - AND CHANGING TIMES HAVE THEMSELVES CHANGED ETHICAL AND AESTHETIC VALUE SYSTEMS, AND OFFERED (AND/OR ORDERED) NEW PRIORITIES. THE 20TH-CENTURY INDUSTRIAL ERA WITH ITS REVOLUTIONARY TURMOIL TRIGGERED AN OVERTURNING OF TRADITIONAL MORAL STANDARDS IN SOCIETY, ESTABLISHING NEW AESTHETIC NOTIONS AND ALTERING ARTISTIC LANGUAGE ACCORDINGLY. THEMES OF NUDITY WERE NO LONGER CONFINED TO ART CLASSES. NUDE BODIES THAT HAD ONCE MADE THE RUSSIAN AUDIENCE NERVOUSLY BLUSH WITH EMBARRASSMENT APPEARED AS SUBJECTS OF PROPAGANDA IN A SOCIETY WHICH WAS AIMING AT DRASTIC CHANGE. THE YOUNG GENERATION OF BIG-CITY DWELLERS, RADICAL NUDISTS, CONSIDERED STROLLING THE STREETS WITHOUT CLOTHES TO BE A REVOLUTIONARY ACT. AS VLADIMIR MAYAKOVSKY STROVE TO CONVINCE HIS READERS: "THERE'S NO BETTER ATTIRE IN THE WORLD / THAN THE BRONZE OF MUSCLES AND FRESHNESS OF SKIN".

The Nude in Russian Art in the 20th Century

RUSSIAN ART HAS OFTEN BEEN CONTRADICTORY IN ITS DEPICTION OF NUDES - AND CHANGING TIMES HAVE THEMSELVES CHANGED ETHICAL AND AESTHETIC VALUE SYSTEMS, AND OFFERED (AND/OR ORDERED) NEW PRIORITIES. THE 20TH-CENTURY INDUSTRIAL ERA WITH ITS REVOLUTIONARY TURMOIL TRIGGERED AN OVERTURNING OF TRADITIONAL MORAL STANDARDS IN SOCIETY, ESTABLISHING NEW AESTHETIC NOTIONS AND ALTERING ARTISTIC LANGUAGE ACCORDINGLY.

Memory and Glory-Soviet Art of the Great Patriotic War

Alexander Morozov

Article: 
ON THE 65th ANNIVERSARY OF VICTORY DAY
Magazine issue: 
#3 2013 (40)

The experience of the Great Patriotic War found a crucial place in the heritage of Sovietera art. As a theme that continues to stir strong feelings in Russian society to this day, its existential conflux of tragedy and triumph on a personal level overlapped with official interest in the subject, considered a crucial one for cultivating patriotism and political stability in Soviet society. Accordingly, warthemed art combined deeply personal motivations with levels of opportunistic ambition, something that determines both its variety and quality.

2013_3_art_11_th.jpg

THE EXPERIENCE OF THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR FOUND A CRUCIAL PLACE IN THE HERITAGE OF SOVIET-ERA ART. AS A THEME THAT CONTINUES TO STIR STRONG FEELINGS IN RUSSIAN SOCIETY TO THIS DAY, ITS EXISTENTIAL CONFLUX OF TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH ON A PERSONAL LEVEL OVERLAPPED WITH OFFICIAL INTEREST IN THE SUBJECT, CONSIDERED A CRUCIAL ONE FOR CULTIVATING PATRIOTISM AND POLITICAL STABILITY IN SOVIET SOCIETY. ACCORDINGLY, WAR-THEMED ART COMBINED DEEPLY PERSONAL MOTIVATIONS WITH LEVELS OF OPPORTUNISTIC AMBITION, SOMETHING THAT DETERMINES BOTH ITS VARIETY AND QUALITY.

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