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Socialist realism

Expanded Socialist Poster

Anti-American Poster 1953

Important groups

Definition and History of Socialist Realism (AKA: Heroic Realism or Fascist Realism)

Russian Marriage 1924

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Socialist Realism as: a Marxist aesthetic theory calling for the didactic use of literature, art, and music to develop social consciousness in an evolving socialist state. Socialist Realism compelled, often by force or coercion, artists of all forms to create positive or uplifting reflections of socialist utopian life by utilizing any visual media such as: posters, movies, newspapers, theater and radio beginning during the Communist Revolution of 1917, escalating during the reign of Josef Stalin (1924-1953) until the early 1980's.

Vladimir Lenin, head of the Russian government 1917-1924, laid the foundation for this new wave of art, suggesting that art is for the people and the people should love and understand it, while uniting the masses. Artists Naum Gabo and Antoine Pevsner attempted to define the lines of art under Lenin by writing "The Realist Manifesto" in 1920 suggesting that artists should be given free rein to create as their muse desired. Lenin, however, had a different purpose for art; wanting it functional, and Stalin built on that belief that art should be propaganda.

Maxim Gorky, founder of the Socialist Realist movement, proclaimed in 1934 at the Soviet Writer's congress that any works of art that portrayed a negative or anti-governmental view of Russia were illegal. This turned individual artists and their masterpieces into state controlled propaganda.

After the death of Stalin in 1953, his was succeed by Nikita Khrushchev who harbored less draconian state controls and openly condemned Stalin's artistic demands in 1957 with his "Secret Speech", and thus began a reversal in policy known as "Khrushchev's Thaw." He believed that artists should not be constrained and should be allowed to live by their creative talents. In 1964, Khrushchev was removed and replaced by Leonid Brezhnev who reintroduced Stalin's ideas and reversed the artistic decisions made by Khrushchev.

However, by the early 1980's, the Socialist Realist movement had begun to fade. Artist to date remark that the Russian Social Realist movement as the most oppressive and shunned period of Soviet Art.

Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia (AKhRR)[edit]

The Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia (AKhRR) was established in 1922 and was one of the most influential artist groups in the USSR. The AKhRR worked to truthfully document contemporary life in Russia by utilizing "heroic realism". The term "heroic realism" was the beginning of the socialist realism archetype. AKhRR was sponsored by influential government officials such as: Leon Trotsky and carried favor with the Red Army.

In 1928, the AKhRR was renamed to Association of Artists of the Revolution (AKhR) in order to include the rest of the Soviet states. At this point the group began participating in state promoted mass forms of art such as: murals, jointly made paintings, advertisement production, and textile design. The group disbanded on April 23, 1932 by the decree "On the Reorganization of Literary and Artistic Organizations" serving as the nucleus for the stalinist USSR Union of Artists.

Society of Easel Painters (OSt)[edit]

While the Society of Easel Painters (OSt) was also focused on the glorification of the revolution they, as per their name, worked individually as easel painters. The most common subjects of the OSt's works fit with the developing socialist realism trope. Their paintings consisted of sport, battle, industry, and modern technology.

The OSt broke up in 1931 due to some members' demand to transition to collective print and poster work. Prominate members of the OSt's included Aleksandr Deyneka (till 1928), Yuri Pimanov, Aleksandr Labas, Pyotr Vilyams, all of whom were students or ex-students of Moscow's art school, Vkhutemas

The Union of Soviet Writers (USW)

The Union of Soviet Writers was created to mandate the single soviet method of socialist realism for all writers, poets and journalist. Its duties comprising from awards to punishment was the ultimate silencing of the most gifted writers. In August 1934, the union held its first congress where the  revolutionary writer Maxim Gorky said, “The Writers’ Union is not being created merely for the purpose of bodily uniting all artists of the pen, but so that professional unification may enable them to comprehend their corporate strength, to define with all possible clarity their varied tendencies, creative activity, guiding principles, and harmoniously to merge all aims in that unity which is guiding all the creative working energies of the country.”

One of the most famous authors during this time was Alexander Fadeyev(24, December 1901- 13, May 1956). Fadeyev was a close personal friend of Stalin and called Stalin "one of the greatest humanists the world has ever seen."His most famous works include "The Rout" and "The Young Guard"."The Young Guard" is a book written by Fadeyev, it was written about an anti-German group called the Young Guards, a group of young men that opposed the Germans. The book details the story of a few different members of the group. It was praised by the Soviet Union and the patriotism show by the group of men.