In 1920, El Lissitzky would create one of the most successful, and influential propaganda posters of his career. Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge was a major breakthrough that showcases El Lissitzky’s new ideas on constructivism, but the poster was also an important segue into the artist’s famous Proun Series. These new ideas would later develop his typographic styling, and change the way we look at type as in image in the book of Mayakovsky’s book of poetry entitled, ‘For the Voice.’ How did El Lissitzky’s architectural background plays a role in the development of Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge? How did the previous Russian tsarist rule, and the revolutions during the Russian Civil War affect his political views, and propagandist views?
Pushkin’s “The Bronze Horseman” and Gogol’s “Nevsky Prospect” allow a deeper view into the history and lifestyle of St. Petersburg. Both stories exhibit the ambivalence that exists in many aspects of St. Petersburg.
During Russia’s transition to communism in the early 20th century, conflict and unease permeated every part of life. Nothing was stable and very little of what the Bolsheviks had fought for had come to fruition by the time the USSR disbanded in 1991. The “classless society”, which was to work together for the prosperity of everyone, never became a reality. In the end, the majority of Russia’s 20th century was an utter failure on a grand scale. However, there were many amazing products of the system do to the great importance of education in Russian culture. Priceless novels were written, timeless movies were made, and great scientific endeavors were realized despite the rigid control placed upon Russian persons by the government. In fact, some of the most memorable written works of the time were written protests to the creativity-stifling situation many writers found themselves in. Because of the danger to their lives should the wrong people be upset by their writings, Yevgeny Zamyatin and Mikhail Bulgakov wrote their most popular, Soviet-life condemning novels under the guise of satire. Even though they’re satirizing the same subject, in both We and The Master and Margarita respectively, they take very different paths to do so.
Johnson, Priscilla and Leopold Labdez (eds.). Khrushchev and the Arts: the politics of Soviet Culture, 1962-64. MIT Press, 1965.
In this paper I will take a closer look into Sergei Rachmaninoff’s life with a specific focus on his Vespers with special attention on the fifth movement, Nunc dimittis. There is confusion as to with what purpose he wrote the Vespers as some claim him to be non-religious while others claim he is very religious. Regardless of his preferences, he requested the fifth movement be played at his own funeral so I intend to explore potential reasons for his decision. I will go about this research by looking into what information we know of his personal life using credible sources, as well as researching his Vespers as a whole with specific focus on the sixth movement. I will also address World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution and its effects
Leon Trotsky, to a large extent, made a meaningful impact in the early stages of his life, through to the Bolshevik consolidation period. However, after Stalin’s rise to power, Trotsky’s failed to continue to have a meaningful impact on his time. Trotsky was instrumental with the engagement and spread of socialist ideas prior to and in 1917 which had the most meaningful impact on his time due to the establishment of the first socialist state in the world. During the Bolshevik consolidation period, Trotsky continued to have a meaningful impact on his time as Commissar of Foreign affairs and Commissar of War, as it sustained the first socialist revolution. Although, upon his exile, despite continuing revolutionary activities Trotsky did not
Mexico was home to rich landowners that ruled like medieval Dukes on large domains, keeping their workforces impoverished, deep in debt, and with barely enough basic necessities for survival. The sheer destruction wrought by ten years of war and chaos has proven to be a deep well of inspiration for Mexico's artists and writers that will be analyzed through the following investigation question. How was the Mexican Revolution the principle cause for the rise of different artistic movements in the first quarter of the 20th century? The inner search for national identity established conflicts prior to this event, therefore in order to execute a thorough analysis, research will emphasize on contextual information starting in the year of 1910 up until 1920. Ideals of the Mexican Revolution, forms of cultural expression dealing with the Mexican Revolution, and how the conflict gave birth to a variety of new artistic currents will be investigated through the use of credible websites, academic journals, and books that provide original research and firsthand experience.
While this may have in part been true, overall this was a false portrayal of what life under Socialism was really like. In order to secure obedience, the Soviet Union “brainwashed” the younger generation and lied to the entire population about how life in the West was. Peter Sis, a man who grew up in Czechoslovakia during the Soviet Union, writes about this in a children’s book. He writes, “As long as he could remember, he had loved to draw. At first he drew shapes. Then he drew people. After drawing whatever he wanted to at home, he drew what he was told to at school. He drew tanks. He drew wars. He didn’t question what he was being told” (Sis). In this excerpt, Sis writes about his love for drawing as a child, and how as he grew up, the state took away his freedom of choice by telling him what to draw. Later on in his book he writes, “Slowly he started to question. He painted what he wanted to – in secret” (Sis). This shows that despite the image of conformity and obedience, people like Peter Sis went against the rules of the state in order to do what he loved and to have a sense of uniqueness. This need for uniqueness is established yet again in another piece of writing. It focuses on the underground black market that was rampant in the Soviet Union during Socialism. This black market sold Western goods and allowed customers to express their
Russia witnessed an artistic revolution during the turn of the 20th century that attempted to overturn art's place in society. Today, we are witnessing a new revolution that is growing at an alarming rate and attracting a variety of people every day. This phenomenon is known as the Internet. The World Wide Web is more than a medium for education and research, but serves as a tool for preserving and glorifying the treasures of art. This paper will argue that through the Internet, society still inhabits the world created by the Russian avant-garde whose legacy lives on in art, dance, music, and social groups. Members of the Dada movement in Pre-Revolutionary Russia found themselves unable to communicate the excitement of the avant-garde, however, with the Internet, that excitement is once again re-lived.
Edmunds, Neil. Soviet Music and Society Under Lenin and Stalin: The Baton and Sickle. New York, NY: Routledge, 2009. Print.
Being one of the greatest Russian writers of 20th century, Aleksander Solzhenitsyn had a unique talent that he used to truthfully depict the realities of life of ordinary people living in Soviet era. Unlike many other writers, instead of writing about “bright future of communism”, he chose to write about everyday hardships that common people had to endure in Soviet realm. In “Matryona’s Home”, the story focuses on life of an old peasant woman living in an impoverished collectivized village after World War 2 . In the light of Soviet’s propaganda of creating a new Soviet Nation, the reader can observe that Matryona’s personality and way of life drastically contradicted the desired archetype of New Soviet Man. Like most of the people in her village,
“To Build a Castle: My Life as a Dissenter” is a critique on socialist society written by Vladimir Bukovsky. In this excerpt, the reader is presented with the reality of a socialist society and the negativity that accompanies it. By using rhetorical modes such as analogy, comparison, and appeal to pathos, Bukovsky paints a vivid picture of the true nature of a socialist society and how it can only result in decimation of the citizens and the destruction of peace and democracy.
1, 1942-43. This artwork was made during the Cold War Era. The work seems to be made by fine thin material, is an abstract form, and seems to have no utilitarian purpose other than that of décor. Meanwhile, Karl Ioganson, Construction from Spatial Series, 1920 expresses that of what the founders of Soviet Constructivism aimed for. This piece of artwork was made three years after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. The work is made of wood and sting, basic liner shapes, and can claimed as utilitarian, because of the flat surfaces. The flat surfaces can serve either as a table or chair, and seems to be able to be taken apart easily and taken to a new location if
...reet Art, Ideology, and Public Space.” NYUClasses, Portland State University. 2012. PDF file. 6 May 2014
...s work The 3rd of May, 1808 is a very detailed and dramatic narrative within a collection of war themed works by the artist. I believe that by using the formal elements of color, texture, shape, lines, space, and the value I was able to sufficiently provide evidence that Goya offers a sequential order of direction for the audience to comprehend from their personal viewing. The twisted and grief stricken work creates a massive emotional connection and the artist plans for the viewers’ to grow and understand this message. The subject highlighted is obvious that Goya is passionate on his stance and outlook on war is suggested in the work. It’s obvious that Goya’s formal organization of his color palette, variation of brushes, repeating shapes, and play with lighting all correspond to depict man’s savage and at times monstrous actions are justified during war.
"Art is dead," says Sontag; however, according to Parry[2] , it is not so much art that is dead, but rather the fatal flaw, and some would say the failure, of art. Therefore, Marx uses the term 'the subcapitalist paradigm of reality' to denote the role of the reader as participant. Any number of deappropriations concerning postmodern materialism may be discovered.