Socialist Realism

• Defining Socialist Realism

  • Qualities; 'true reflection of reality'; aimed to 'participate in the building of socialism'.
  • Art; realistic; socialist theme focus on factories or workers producing raw materials.
  • Literature; novels simple and easily-followed plots; focus on building socialism; Gladkov's 1924 novel 'Cement' told story of workers rebuilding cement factory.
  • Ballet; during 1920s, was angular and constructivist to celebrate industrialisation such as Prokofiev's 'The Steel Step; Stalin was traditional, praised 1940 'Romeo and Juliet' for accessibility to workers; focus on epic tales.
• Artistic Production

  • Artists quotas; sent to factories and collective farms to record what they saw; Gerasimov, Stalin's favourite painter, said terror led to 'creative atmosphere of enthusiasm'.
  • Industrialisation; paintings focus on 5 Year Plans, like Klutsis painting 'In the Storm of the 3rd year of the 5 Year Plan' portrayed heroic miners; Lobanov's 'Training workers for Magnitogorsk' depicts steel workers.
  • Collectivisation; utopian; Shurpin's 'Morning of our Motherland' shows Stalin near pylons looking to future.
  • Music; heroic; nationalistic; Shostakovich's 'Suite on Finnish Themes'.
• Dissenting Artists under Stalin

  • Dissenting artists celebrated achievements of Lenin rather than Stalin.
  • Dziga Vertov; 1934 trilogy 'Three Songs about Lenin'; focus on Lenin's vision and achievements of ordinary people; Stalin barely mentioned in the film.
• Art and Culture under Stalin

  • Defining Socialist Realism.
  • Artistic Production.
  • Dissenting Artists.