the shackles of socialist realism

A detailed Summary of the shackles of socialist realism

The civil strife and chaos that had torn Russia limb from limb in the early 20th Century, although brutally devastating, did not hail the end of the stability and power that had characterized the massive country for so much of history. The continuing strength of what was now the Soviet Union lay in the newly formed support structure provided by Socialist Realism, a force that directed the awareness of, and the arts produced by, the Soviet people. The ideals of Socialist Realism deified Lenin and Marx, attributed the Bolshevik ranks with heroism undaunted by overwhelming opposition, and directed the proletariat towards a better future through reconstruction and industrialization of the state. Socialist Realism was essentially a Party tool that, combined with the Bolshevik ideals of collectivization and unity, would transform the people into a formidable, indestructible mass force.

Socialist Realism's central code of conduct was, in Stalin's words, to "above all portray life truthfully." Any form of art that depicted Bolshevik life was to do so in a realistic and accurate manner, "on its way to socialism"; "that will be socialist art, that will be Socialist Realism." (Lincoln 333) This was the paradigm that all Soviet art w

Although art from Russia's past was almost uniformly rejected during the Socialist Realist era, Deineka managed to adopt old styles and include them in his works. These were seen in "The Defense of Petrograd", a piece that portrayed the persistence and determination of the Soviet Union's workers to defend their motherland at all costs, and also in later works in which he used bright colors and healthy, robust men and women to portray society's harmonious relationship with a natural world that socialism would one day actualize.

One of the first Socialist Realist films was Chapaev, based on the aforementioned novel by Furmanov. It remains the most popular Socialist Realist film ever made. As in the Furmanov's novel, Vasilii Chapaev is portrayed as a socialist hero whose successful exploits glorify the ideals of the Party. Chapaev was exactly the cinematic model that Stalin was hoping for, and he praised it as the formula that all subsequent films should follow.

The visual arts were likewise greatly affected by Socialist Realism. The most characteristic works of the Stalin era were colossal murals and friezes that were created by whole contingents of artists. These giant works portrayed the life that was supposedly growing better every day under Stalin's rule. Stalin himself played a role in many of these works, portrayed as a teacher and comrade to the common man. He appeared in idealized portraits of classroom scenes or in cityscapes, always among his people.

Socialist Realist film, like literature, reflected Bolshevik values and the principles embodied by Stalin's vision for the future. Every feature was required to glorify the ideals of the revolution and depict the power of the collective. This power was exemplified in the people's breaching of imposing obstacles, such as natural disasters and civil opposition to the socialist path. However, this portrayal of Soviet life came at the cost of great censorship and suppression of varied artistic talents. If a film did not portray the Bolshevik cause in a "truthful" light, it would never make its way to a public audience.

Although the Soviet Union was markedly secular, it adopted Orthodox Russia's replacement of the individual with the collective. Many artists collaborated on gigantic pieces that depicted the immense size and grandeur of their unified country. Overwhelming all other artistic principles, Socialist Realism became synonymous with the state. It modified the past and the future by making both conform to reality and to Lenin's timeless ideals. Most importantly, it portrayed the Soviet Union's future as being filled with an unequaled prosperity that would forever shame capitalism and its proponents.

Theater during Socialist Realism approached the Party and its artistic doctrines from a very different angle, showing unmistakable signs of discontentment with and dissent towards the entire system. Meyerhold and Maiakovskii were the two men who led this theatrical, anti-Socialist Realism movement beginning in 1928, when their collaborated efforts produced The Bedbug. Aleksandr Rodchenko designed the set and Dmitrii Shostakovich composed the score. The play was an outright parody of Stalin's regime and attempted to expose the pettiness and meaninglessness of Party codes. Its goal was to lift the Socialist Realist veil that clouded the vision of the Soviet people, and it depicted resentment towards and loss of faith in the principles to which many people had given their entire lives.

as to be modeled after; implemented in 1934, the formula of Socialist Realism would heavily influence art

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Approximate Word count = 2429
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Arts