WORKS BY LENINGRAD PAINTERS AT ART EXHIBITIONS OF THE 1930S IN CRITICAL PUBLICATIONS OF CONTEMPORARIES
Abstract
The research is devoted to an overview of a major phenomenon of Soviet art in the 1930s — art exhibitions — through the analysis of numerous critical notes published in periodicals of that time. The article discusses the main theses of critical articles containing reviews of paintings by Leningrad artists who participated in exhibitions. Thanks to the various assessments and opinions of art critics, teachers and artists themselves, it is possible to appreciate the diversity of the artistic life of Leningrad in the 1930s. Considerable attention is paid to the originality of Leningrad painting, manifested primarily in the genre of urban landscape and the depiction of children. The 1930s were characterized by discussions about the creation of large subject-themed paintings as the highest achievement of the socialist realism. The special role of large canvases was often contrasted with the etude works widely presented at exhibitions. In addition to sketchiness, formalism and naturalism were declared the main enemies of artists. Great importance was attached to the evaluation of artistic means, composition, imagery, and colors. There was a constant increased interest in the young artists, the continuity of the works of the old and new generations. An acute problem typical of the 1930s was the attitude towards cultural heritage. The constant expectation of artists to create ideological, ideologically correct works became the leitmotif of critical publications of the pre-war decade. The article shows the variety of artistic searches carried out by Leningrad painters for the successful solution of the tasks set by the state.
References
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