Oleg Sopotsinsky

What an interesting book! "Art in the Soviet Union" talks about "Socialist Realism:" a genre dedicated to realism, humanitarianism, and explicit socialist themes. Consequently, the genre becomes a lot like photography with an emphasis on the face/power-posing. The book claims that the pre-war years, 1917-1940, showed monumental, grand-scale works to show the power of the Soviet Union and the October Rebellion of 1917. From 1941-1958, Soviet art got a lot more smaller and intimate (thanks to WWII destroying everything.) And finally, from 1959-1970s, Soviet Art began to accept works from its bordering countries and adds an embellishment of impressionism/folksiness; not only do they show the landscapes of the oriental, but they've nailed the physiognomy of their portrayals so well that they only add detail when it is NEEDED. If I had to summarize all of the Soviet Union's Socialist Realism works, I would say that it looks like the video game "Dishonored." :P

Do I believe that this is all that the Soviet Union has to offer? Not necessarily, but it is founded on tradition, and I believe that starting from tradition is the best segue into the more nonconformist, abstract art of the time. I'm very excited for this, hehe ^^

P.S. I should mention that, yes, I do like Socialist Realism. I especially love their statues, most notably "The Worker and the Collective-farm Woman" and "Sheaf," both produced by Vera Mukhina.… (altro)