Socialist Realism in the Soviet Union

             In the 1930s, Socialist realism was established as the main form of art for the Soviet Union. Although it’s origins were in literature, Socialist realism eventually spread into the visual arts, specifically painting. Despite the skill from the artists who produced Socialist Realism works, the art movement and its pieces were largely dismissed as propaganda. The artistic merits were overshadowed by the fact that the Soviet government, which wanted control of all artistic mediums in the country, endorsed the movement.

            Life in the Soviet Union was inaccurately portrayed through Socialist Realism. For the majority of soviets, day-to-day life was incredibly grim. However, Soviet Realism depicted life for average people to be very positive. The artwork was seen as almost utopian because it was painted realistically but the subjects of the paintings were always in drastically better conditions that reflected what the soviets wanted at that time. Most Socialist Realism depicted normal soviet people that appeared to be young, powerful and hardworking. The artwork often pictured Stalin as well; he always appeared to look powerful and happy.

Stalin at the XVIIIth Party Congress, Gerasimov

            When Mikhail Gorbachev came to power, he decided to loosen the government’s control over art. Once the Soviet Union fell, Socialist Realism was abandoned in Russia unless it was being used in an ironic fashion. However, Socialist Realism spread to other countries like China, Laos, and North Korea, which occasionally still use the style today.