Art Propaganda in the Soviet Union - Essay Example

Art Propaganda Art Propaganda Revolutionary period in the Soviet Union gave rise to a number of components. The government and political atmosphere of this periods, determined the nature of which art was portrayed. The government controlled the nature of art was displayed. A number of artists changed the ancient models of art to give rise to a different genre. Constructive art was a result of a number of ideologist to champion given agendas within the union. Different types of art were used to push forward common themes championed by the government. Different regimes brought forward a different ideology and art was used to connect between different governments regimes. The essay will compare different arts with focus being on the manner in which art and politics combined. Contemporary art entails combining various components within a given environment. Contemporary art will lay basis of the revolutionary art in the region. Art in the Soviet Union was aimed at creating uniformity. The idea of uniformity was to creating masterpieces that represents culture; at the same time promote the political atmosphere at a given period (Krishnan, 226). The major contributors of these themes were the theatre and the film industry. The earlier constructive art depicted a different picture from that of contemporary film and theatre industry. Theatre and film in the 1920’s was all about developing a culture where each citizen considered the union superior and depicting other nations as inferior. The political ideology at the period was focused on enlightening the marginalized groups about the importance of their loyalty. Films at that time where based on drama and action geared towards constructive agendas.. An example of such film includes the 1924 animated film “results of the twelfth party congress”. The film portrays a propaganda message to in which the opposition parties where deemed as evil and that there manifesto was designed to fail and lead the union into shambles. In the 1950’s the film changed their message and focused on the cold war propaganda. The focus of these films was to portray the military and political prowess of the union hence uniting the citizens within the country. The constructivism art also included painting and posters. Paintings portrayed the culture of the region and at the same time being used as a propaganda tool. An example of these paintings was the “Construction No. 126 ” by Alexander Rodchenko. The 1920 oil on canvas portrays represent a unique model chosen by Rodchenko in portraying art. The monochrome form of art indicates the nature in which art can utilize a single theme to pass a message. A comrade picks up a flag as a sign of continued struggle. The influential nature of the artist gave rise to a generation of constructivist artist who later transformed the monochromatic paintings a more comprehensive form of art. The nature in which Alexander Rodchenko introduced was essential in the then administration. The administration ensures art not only champion the government agendas but would create a sense of identity. (Russian Art Gallery, 2010) The artist at the period used emotions to pass forward their message. Colour in the painting is used to describe emotions and as a toll of encouragement. The dark colour in the portrait describes the current mood while the white strips indicate the silver lining and the truth in which the propaganda messages where successful. The mid 1950’s saw a transformation in the manner in which art was portrayed. The message changed from that of liberation messages to cohesion messages. An example of such paintings is the “happy reuniting” of 1954. The oil on canvas painting by Ivanovich describes represent the aftermath of the civil and the cold war where Families are reuniting with their loved ones. Those displaced by the civil wars are reunited and thus the preparing the country to a series of national building. (Russian Art Gallery, 2010) Liubov popova introduced a different aspect in painting. She intruded the dichromatic elements of painting in that art was introduced to a range of colours. The design remained similar but the components changed to stress dynamics within the constructivism ar. An example of such art is the “Space Force Construction” of 1921. The focus of the art is to limit the amount of colour used while at the same time concentrating on the constructivism agendas. The two artists would act as inspiration to a generation of artist who concentrated. Both Popova and Alexander aimed at introducing art that will influence the nature in which the population interacts. The use of colour was essential at it enabled the audience to focused on the details rather that attraction to the colours. (Russian Art Gallery, 2010) Constructivism art also influence the architectural designs of the then period. The society union used art to unite the population under leadership. Other forms of constructivism were evident on the architectural design of the early 1920’s. The aim was to create a sense of identity to the region. The “Worker and Kolkhoz Woman” of 1937 by Vera Mukhina is an example of the propaganda art used by the government to unit different regions of the union. The main focus was to ensure each region is united under a constructivism.. The 1937 art indicate the artistic components of the Soviet Union with inspiration being drawn from both Popova and Alexander’s constructivist art. (Russian- IC, 2008) In conclusion there is a difference between art of the 1920’s and the contemporary art portrayed in the society union. The common aspect of these arts is the manner in which the authorities had influence over the kind of art displayed to the general public. The main aim of art is to represent a given them with respect to a specific environments. The propaganda art represent the government efforts to use available mediums to push forward their political ideology. The change of theme was also utilized by the government to represent a given agenda. The propaganda art did little to promote culture rather it was a toll in which the Soviet Union used to carry forward specific agendas. The eternal influence of the revolutionary art is what described society art. It is evident on how environments can influence art by focusing on different arts within the union one can trace the inspirational aspect of the then art. Reference KrishnanM. 2012.Transformation of the human consciousness: The origins of socialist realism In the soviet union. The Concord Review, 1: pp. 226- 251 Russian Art Gallery. 2010. Gallery. [Online]. Available at: < http://www.russianartgallery.com/ > [Accessed 9 January 2015] Russian- IC.2008. Russian Sculpture: History Outline. [online]. Available at:< http://www.russia-ic.com/culture_art/visual_arts/760/#.VK9zU3t6jIU> [Accessed 9 January 2015] Read More