Art and Design Review, 2021, 9, 131-147 https://www.scirp.org/journal/adr ISSN Online: 2332-2004 ISSN Print: 2332-1997 Soviet Art Movements between 1917-1990 Leyla Onen Department of Painting and Printing Arts Department, Gorele Fine Arts Faculty, Giresun University, Giresun, Turkey How to cite this paper: Onen, L. (2021). Abstract Soviet Art Movements between 1917-1990. Art and Design Review, 9, 131-147. After the October revolution of 1917, the Soviet Union was established by un- https://doi.org/10.4236/adr.2021.92012 iting five countries under one roof. After the Soviet Union was established, with the proposal of the totalitarian regime, the understanding of Social real- Received: February 8, 2021 Accepted: April 16, 2021 ism was accepted as the dominant view in all areas. In this study, the works Published: April 19, 2021 produced by the artists of the Soviet Union in the style of Social realism were examined and the works produced in different years were examined. At the Copyright © 2021 by author(s) and same time, the works produced in the style of Constructivism, Suprematism, Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Social Realism, Hard realism, New realism that emerged in Soviet art were Commons Attribution International also included in the study. This study was created by qualitative research me- License (CC BY 4.0). thod. In the study, works in the style of Constructivism, Suprematism, Hard http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ realism, Neorealism and works that are used as propaganda tools and pro- Open Access duced with the tendency to rule the society are examined. Examining the works produced in various styles in the Soviet Union revealed the importance of the research. In the study, it is aimed to examine the artist and their works between the years 1917-1990 with the method of artistic criticism. Keywords Soviet Art, Social Realism, Suprematism, Hard Realism, Constructivism 1. Introduction The march initiated by working-class women in Russia in 1917 demanding a reduction in the work-hour burden affected the whole country. Lenin and Trotsky seized power, using the situation to their advantage. Vladimir Ilich Lenin was born on April 22, 1870 in the Ulyanov’s province of Russia in an educated and enlightened family. Influenced by the execution of his brother by the tsarist government, he put forward the theory of Leninism through his Marxist ideas against the regime. In Leon Trotsky, Markst, like Le- nin, put forward the ideas of Trotskyism and was appointed to the People’s Commissariat for War (Köktürk, 2017: p. 61). The General Secretary of the DOI: 10.4236/adr.2021.92012 Apr. 19, 2021 131 Art and Design Review L. Onen Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Josef Stalin and the Chinese revolutio- nary Mao Zedon opposed the theories. In 1922, Trotsky lost the power struggle against Stalin. At the Second Congress of the Democratic Labor Party in 1903, the Bolshevik (majority) and Menshevik (minority) groups emerged as the sup- porters of Lenin and the supporters of Martov. Supporters of Lenin constituted the majority. The revolution that took place with the victory of the Bolsheviks in 1917 went down in history as the October revolution (Hudaynazarov, 2003: pp. 7-9). After the October revolution, an attack was launched against any danger from neighboring states. After the attack launched on the pretext of danger, na- tions of various ethnic and cultural values united under the umbrella of the Un- ion of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) (Efendi, 2007: p. 248). 2. Method This study was created by qualitative research method. In the study, the works produced in the style of Constructivism, Suprematism, Social Realism, Hard realism, Neorealism that emerged in the Soviet period are included and analyzed. At the same time, works in which Socialism, the dominant view, took place as a propaganda tool were also discussed. Including various styles together with Social realism in the research reveals the importance. The aim of the study is to examine the artist and their works in the Soviet Union. 3. The Emergence of Social Realism The October revolution that took place in 1917 showed its influence in many fields, including art. The Communist Party published a declaration containing views on literature and politics on June 18, 1925. Views supporting the bour- geoisie are also included in the declaration, which contains information on the lifestyle of the countries of the Soviet Socialist Republics. Following the declara- tion, the Socialist ideology was supported in both art and social life fields. Opposing special rights to the elite, the working class issued a declaration defending equal rights in all spheres of artistic, cultural and social life (Cebrailoğlu, 2005: p. 60). In May 1932, the Social Realism understanding emerged in the Soviet Union Party Congress in order to approve the view of the government and instill it into the society. This term, which was first used by the Russian writer Maxim Gorky (1868-1936), was included in the novel “Mother”, which he put forward in 1906-07. Social Realism supports the general mindset of this novel (Tağızade, 2006: p. 9). Soviet writer Ivan Mikhaylovich Gronsky wrote an article on Social Realism in a newspaper and introduced it to the world. In 1934, the Central Committee of- ficially declared the Socialist Realism understanding as the artistic practice of the USSR. Based on the idea of “art is for society” with Social Realism, an artistic policy that aims to produce artistic works and develop. In the Second Writers’ Congress in 1934, it was decided that the understanding of Social Realism should be the dominant view in all fields (Hacıyev & Dadaşzade, 1969: p. 21). DOI: 10.4236/adr.2021.92012 132 Art and Design Review L. Onen The understanding of Social Realism was based on the Marxist philosophical understanding, its aesthetic and literary origin on Russian literature, and its po- litical Bolshevik movement. Social Realism originated on the aesthetic theory of the Russian philosopher, writer and critic Nikolay Chernyshevsky (1828-1889), which relates to his view of art. According to Tağızade (2006), in his doctoral dissertation titled “The aesthetic approach of art to the real”, Chernyshevsky was defending the view that life and nature itself are beautiful and the understanding of fine sense of the Marxist ideology. As a result of the decisions taken in this period, it has become necessary and force majeure to produce works on the understanding of Social Realism. With the management policies of the Soviet Union, works with propaganda character emerged. The artists tried to reveal the positive feeling of enthusiasm in the so- ciety with the works they produced in the style of Social Realism. Based on this understanding, many steps have been taken to ensure that “Art is for society” is the dominant view in all segments of society. The idea of dealing with the daily life and difficulties of society constitutes the basis of Social Realism. However, Soviet painters produced works that could be perceived by all segments of socie- ty in line with the repressive policies of the government (Aliyev, 2007: p. 9). According to Şimşek (2007), works that include the understanding of Social Realism treat the oppressed as an art object and contribute to the education le- vels of the working class and peasants. It took place to put forward class strug- gles in the “responsibility” of art. Social Realism introduced by the Soviet Union supported the development of the state by penetrating all segments of society. Artists Social Realism has begun to produce works that glorify workers, toiling heroes who serve. With the new regulations made in the field of art after Stalin’s domination, the production of works that do not include the understanding of Social Realism was prohibited, and it was asked to produce works that praised the regime. After 1932, works such as novels, poems, films, paintings and sculp- tures began to be produced in order to instill the Soviet spirit in the society. Emotions such as happiness and positivity were tried to be reflected in the pic- tures by using vibrant and pastel colors. Steps have been taken aimed at the de- velopment of Social Realism. One of the main aims of socialist reality is to achieve integrity in the changes that occur in society’s ideas and thoughts (Efendiyeva, 2010: p. 340). With the application of the idea of Social Realism in art, art has been taken over by the power and started to be used as a propaganda tool. In order for the concept of socialism to be accepted and adopted by the society, an education system supporting the concept was created. Socialism has become the only movement in the Soviet Union by penetrating all fields, including art education, and its education has been made force majeure (Uygur, 2005: p. 6). According to Lenin, it is necessary to produce works suitable for the purpose of the people through art. Lenin argued that art belongs to the people and must serve the working class. Art development should be provided by revealing the DOI: 10.4236/adr.2021.92012 133 Art and Design Review L. Onen feelings and thoughts of the people. Art propaganda, which was created based on these thoughts, has been instrumental in achieving unity and solidarity in the society as in the “one heart, one fist” understanding. For example, the coopera- tion of the state and society in the agricultural field has led to developments. With this, the Soviet Union developed economically and gained power. This sit- uation has positively affected the artists economically. Artists devoted their time to their arts by receiving many supports such as artistic material, home, monthly income as state support (Efendi, 2007: p.