Nonconformist artists in the USSR. Taking risks for the sake of art

The twentieth century. Never before has visual art undergone such revolutionary changes. The entire classical painting system was broken by the art of modernism. Moreover, Soviet craftsmen acted at that time as one of the main innovators and inventors. Both in the West and in the USSR, exhibitions of avant-garde artists were scandalized (which many artists sought). But it was only in totalitarian countries, including the Stalinist Soviet Union, that new art was banned by law in the thirties.After Stalin's death and Khrushchev's rise to power, many hoped for change. It seems surprising today that at the very beginning of the Thaw, at the exhibition in honor of the anniversary of the founding of the Moscow Art Museum, avant-garde artists were allowed to exhibit. But when Khrushchev himself came to the exhibition, he subjected the artists to devastating criticism. Nikita Sergeyevich uttered the decisive phrase: "as far as art is concerned, I am a Stalinist." And that says it all.However, in the last years of Stalin's rule, a generation of artists grew up who did not recognize the official canons of socialist realism. The fate of many of them was tragic. Some have served time in prisons on political charges, and some have ended up in psychiatric hospitals. There is even a case where KGB officers maimed and almost killed one of the unofficial artists by putting a toxic substance in his shoes. And one of the leaders of the underground painters, Rukhin, even died under unclear circumstances. But who were these artists who risked their lives for painting, and what motivated them?Why couldn't they have painted otherwise, because many masters, such as Malevich, compromised with the authorities?Naturally, those artists did not agree with the policy of the Soviet Union. For them, painting was a political manifesto, but there was also a purely artistic reason for their decision to work in forbidden styles. According to a well-known principle, art is an expression of the spirit of the times. Therefore, each era generates its own special style, and the avant-garde perfectly corresponded to the spirit of the turbulent and terrible twentieth century. Despite all the external ugliness, this art was more honest and reflected the real problems of society, unlike socialist realism, which tried to portray a fictional socialist paradise.Besides, it should be understood that the Soviet people at that time were already tired of socialist art. And this is not surprising. Complete contempt for form led to the fact that academically correct paintings of the socialist realists became gray and boring. Therefore, sometimes not only artists, but also the audience were ready to look at any paintings that had something fresh in them.Nonconformism by Groupsoviet Marxists (Leningrad School)Among the talented post-Impressionist artists, there was one person who is practically unknown today. Frenchman Albert Marquet lost himself in the shadow of the glory of Van Gogh and Gauguin. However, he was a great friend of the Soviet Union and, as a foreign communist, was invited to the USSR at the end of Stalin's rule. After getting acquainted with his work, many artists began to imitate him. The same moist, misty semi-darkness appeared in their paintings. The artists themselves called themselves "Marxists", and were engaged in creative work, without any political manifestos. A "neutral" landscape genre was chosen for this purpose. The artists themselves did not perceive their activities as resistance. Rather, it was the "third way," not the way of socialist realism, but also not the way of the avant-garde. At the same time, the term "Marxists" was partly a mockery of official Marxists.The Arefevsky Circle During the difficult years of the war, other artists grew up. During the post-war devastation, they began their journey in art. Leningrad painters Richard Vasmi, Alexander Arefyev, Tyulevev, and Sholom Schwartz chose the dark side of city life as their source of inspiration. Among other things, plots from the lives of antisocial elements were used, created in a recognizable simplified artistic manner. The artists of the Arefevsky circle themselves were also not distinguished by exemplary behavior and were often careless about their appearance. The artists could not even dream of an official exhibition until the end of their days and even gave themselves the ironic nickname "the order of mendicant (unsold) painters."Another striking phenomenon in the life of Leningrad was the painting of the Mitki group. It is named after its founder Dmitry Shagin. The band's work is based on urban folklore, flavored with vernacular humor and performed in the characteristic naive technique of primitivism. Subsequently, a whole subculture with its own rules and language developed around the work of the "Mitks". Today, "Mitki" is a true legend of St. Petersburg."Aleph", Jews in painting in the USSR After the Revolution in the USSR, Jews, finally freed from anti-Semitic restrictions, breathed freely. A whole galaxy of brilliant designers and artists of Jewish origin appeared. The Jews were Marc Chagall and El Lissitzky. However, after the war, there was no place for traditional Jewish culture in Soviet society. The issue of identity was raised by the Aleph group, which included many Jewish artists. The most prominent representative of the movement was the painter Abezgauz.Despite the external realism, his paintings are allegorical. They most often contain references to the Bible, but transferred to the atmosphere of today. In addition, his paintings feature inscriptions on convex ribbons, which are traditional for Jewish painting.Odessa, Leningrad, and Lianozo naturally, the main centers of painting of the second Soviet avant-garde (nonconformist painting) were the capitals (Moscow and Leningrad). An active artistic life took place there. Also, one of the centers of this culture was the city of Odessa, a port where the influence of foreign countries was felt. Many young artists of Odessa were patronized by the outstanding painter Egorov. On his canvases, he depicted the beloved element of Odessa - the sea.His sea is true, despite the avant-garde tone of his work. It "breathes", shines and moves. It can be said that, along with Voloshin and Aivazovsky, Egorov created his own vivid and distinctive image of the sea.Moscow nonconformists gathered in Lianozovo, where Oscar Rabin worked among the barracks. His expressionist paintings feature a whole system of symbols taken from real life. Later, when the artist, misunderstood by Soviet society, leaves for Europe, he will continue to paint the same barracks - and will also not be understood by the Western public. Besides him, the Lianozovo group also included the experimental poet Heinrich Sapgir, the author of the famous poem "The Princess and the Ogre", based on which a cartoon was shot in Soviet times.Moscow romantic conceptualism, despite its separation from world culture, new artistic trends penetrated into the countries of the Socialist Camp at the end of the twentieth century. At that time, conceptualism was born in Moscow, which one critic called "romantic." The most famous figures of this movement were Ivan Chuikov, Viktor Pivovarov, Ilya Kabakov and Pavel Pepperstein.Ivan Chuikov was the son of a socialist realist artist, also famous. At first, it seemed to the KGB that the guy had simply "lost his way," but he was very serious and was not going to abandon his intended line in art. All his life, he exploited the Renaissance idea that painting was a window to the world. And, indeed, he painted paintings on window frames.Many artists of that time found an outlet in children's illustration. Pivovarov and Kabakov also worked in this area, but for the former it was an important stage of creativity, and for the latter it was only commercial art for the sake of a piece of bread. In his "nonconformist" works Pivovarov showed interest in surrealism based on the theory of eidos (unlike Freudianism in Dali). He is also famous for conceptual projects such as "projects for a single person". This series of drawings was created as a kind of "design project" of a boring meaningless human life.It is a reaction to the empty existence of the Soviet people in the era of stagnation.The first exhibitions and confessions had not yet begun Perestroika, when the artists were given the first indulgences. In the seventies, the first official exhibitions were organized with great difficulty in the Recreation Center. There is also gas in the Nevsky Recreation Center. After that, the first legal institution for banned painters was created - the painting section at the City Graphics Committee. But it was still an inconclusive turning point. Many artists were persecuted after that. It was only during the time of Perestroika that unofficial art finally became permitted and immediately became a staple in the life of the aging USSR.Of course, within the framework of this article it is impossible to consider all the artists of Soviet nonconformism. But there were dozens of them. From the Leningrad School to the Tower group, nonconformists are no longer something forbidden. On the contrary, they have become living classics of an irrevocably bygone era. 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